ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Land

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2010,  Official Report, column 704W, on common land, if she will assess the effects on the voluntary dedication of town or village greens of provisions in administrative law that prevent administrations acting in a way which is motivated by the desire to bind its successors; and if she will assess the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to enable local authorities to designate town or village greens.

Richard Benyon: In our view, a local authority may apply under section 15(8) of the Commons Act 2006 to voluntarily register land in its ownership as a town or village green, but may not register land which it manages but does not own. In our view, registration under section 15(8) would be a disposal of land for the purposes of section 123 or 127 (as the case may be) of the Local Government Act 1972, and the authority must comply with the requirements of those provisions. We expect that most local authority proposals for voluntary registration are likely to fall within the terms of the General Disposal Consent 2003, set out in ODPM circular 6/03. However, an authority will also need to comply with the special requirements of section 123(2A) or 127(3), as regards the disposal of open space.
	We will publish in due course updated guidance on voluntary applications for registration of land under section 15(8) of the Commons Act 2006, which takes account of these requirements.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce the outcomes of her Department's consultation on the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

James Paice: We have been working closely with the Home Office on this issue. On 7 February they launched a consultation on a new antisocial behaviour framework in which dogs are included. This can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/asb-consultation
	A further announcement will be made by DEFRA shortly concerning other matters raised in our consultation.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the  (a) sustainability and  (b) contribution to net decreases in carbon and greenhouse gas emissions of (i) cellulosic ethanol, (ii) biofuels from algae and (iii) biofuels from wood chip;
	(2)  how much funding her Department allocated to research into biofuels from  (a) woodchip and  (b) algae in the last five years; and how much such funding she plans to allocate in each of the next four financial years;
	(3)  how much funding her Department has allocated to research into cellulosic ethanol in the last five years; and how much such funding she plans to allocate in each of the next four financial years.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply.
	The renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) requires biofuel suppliers to report to the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) both the greenhouse gas emissions consequences of, and the sustainability of, the biofuels they supply. None of the UK biofuel reported under the RTFO in the year 2008-09 came from cellulosic ethanol, algae or woodchip. Information for the year 2009-10 is due to be published shortly.
	The Department for Transport has granted approximately £6 million to the Carbon Trust over the last two years to support their advanced bioenergy research accelerator which focuses on research into biofuels from microalgae and pyrolysis. A recent assessment by the Carbon Trust calculated the potential greenhouse gas savings of microalgae biofuel compared to diesel as 78% using the RTFO methodology.
	£27 million of wider Government funding has also been committed to the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Centre. The centre runs a number of programmes, including one specifically on cellulosic ethanol.
	Decisions on future funding will be taken in due course but Department for Transport have no plans for direct sponsorship of any further research into these areas at this stage.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2011,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA2, on animal experimentation, which minimum requirements of the new EU Directive 2010/63/EU on animal experimentation are lower than current UK requirements; in what ways such requirements are lower than current UK requirements; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: Many of the provisions of Directive 210/63/EU are similar to current United Kingdom requirements; some are new and go further; and a few are potentially less stringent. For example, unlike the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the directive does not provide special protection for cats, dogs and equids. In addition, some of the mandatory standards of care and accommodation set out in Annex III to the directive are lower such as cage height for rats, hamsters and gerbils; minimum floor areas for sheep, goats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, mini-pigs and equids. The directive also excludes from protection foetal forms of birds and reptiles and protects foetal forms of mammals from the last third of gestation rather than the halfway point. The required membership and functions of the proposed animal welfare bodies in establishments are also less extensive in the directive than the current requirement for local ethical processes in the United Kingdom. This is not a full and final list of differences and further details will be included in the impact assessment currently in preparation which will be published in due course.

Data Sharing: Companies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made in encouraging data-sharing between companies engaged in animal testing.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 9 February 2011
	The Government support the work of the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) which promotes the replacement, reduction and refinement of animals (the 3Rs) in research and testing. Over the last six years, the NC3Rs has developed a model that enables pharmaceutical and chemical companies and contract research organisations that engage in animal testing to share data and expertise. An example of the success of this approach is the removal from the international regulatory guidelines of single dose acute toxicity testing for pharmaceuticals. In 2010, the NC3Rs has continued to facilitate this cooperation by co-ordinating data sharing between 23 companies in a wide range of areas related to the development of new medicines. Further information on these activities is published on the NC3Rs website.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of proposed reforms to the immigration system on the number of non-EU students applying to  (a) all UK universities and  (b) universities in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of her proposed restrictions on the number of student visas on levels of income of universities with courses attracting overseas students in  (a) Scotland,  (b) England,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in each of the next four years.

Damian Green: A consultation on the student immigration system closed on 31 January 2011. The consultation sought the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals. The results of the consultation and an impact assessment will be published in due course.

Immigration

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration legacy cases were  (a) lodged and  (b) dealt with in each of the last 24 months; and what the outcome of each was.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 February 2011
	Cases dealt with under the "legacy" programme are asylum cases that were lodged with the agency on or prior to 5 March 2007 therefore no new legacy cases were lodged in the last 24 months. In response to part  (b) of the question, the agency provides regular updates on performance, including a breakdown into grants, removals and "other" cases such as duplicates or errors, to the Home Affairs Select Committee and is due to report in the spring.
	On 1 November the agency reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee that it had concluded 334,500 cases.

Members: Correspondence

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Scotland and  (b) Universities Scotland on the likely effect of her proposed reform of the immigration system on the number of non-EU students at universities in Scotland.

Damian Green: The proposals in the consultation on reform of the student visa system were agreed by the Government as a whole. Officials at the UK Border Agency arranged a series of events with key corporate partners throughout the consultation period and Universities Scotland participated in these discussions.

Migrant Workers

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas under Tier 5 (religious workers) of the points-based visa scheme have been granted to applicants in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Tier 5 of the points-based system (PBS) was introduced on 27 November 2008 to cover entry clearance visas for temporary workers and youth mobility. The following table shows the number of entry clearance visas issued under the Tier 5 (religious workers) category from 2008 to Quarter 3 2010.
	Figures on entry clearance visas issued by category are published quarterly in table 1.1 of Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	Data for Quarter 4 2010 will be published on 24 February 2011 in Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary Q4 2010.
	
		
			  Entry clearance visas( 1)  to the United Kingdom issued under PBS Tier 5-Religious, 2008 to Q3 2010( 3) 
			   Visas issued 
			 2008(2) - 
			 2009 1,040 
			   
			 Q1 to Q3 2010 1,260 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 ('-' = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2) Tier 5 of the points-based system (PBS) was introduced on 27 November 2008. (3) Management information.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Carbon Offsetting

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments for carbon offsetting were made in each such year.

Lynne Featherstone: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has not spent any money on carbon offsetting.

International Women's Day

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has to mark International Women's Day; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: This is a commemorative year for International Women's Day (IWD) as it marks the 100(th) anniversary. We remain committed to celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. A range of Departments including the Government Equalities Office and the Home Office are finalising plans to observe this centenary year. My Department is mapping the activity planned across Government including the devolved Administrations to mark IWD 2011.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Prayers

David Winnick: To ask the Leader of the House if he will discuss with the Procedure Committee the holding of daily prayers at a location other than in the Chamber of the House.

George Young: I have no plans to do so.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Prosecutions

Andrew Love: To ask the Attorney-General what powers he has to direct the Director of Public Prosecutions on individual cases under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1879.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers have no power to direct the DPP on individual cases under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1879 as it has been repealed.
	Details of the current working relationship between the Attorney-General and the DPP can be found in the "Protocol between the Attorney General and the Prosecuting Departments", which was published in 2009. The Protocol can be found at the following website address:
	http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk/Publications/Documents/Protocol%20between%20the%20Attorney%20General%20and %20the%20Prosecuting %20Departments.pdf

Public Expenditure

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has made an assessment of the compliance of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review with the provisions set out in  (a) equalities legislation and  (b) the Human Rights Act 1998 in respect of each Government Department; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The compliance of the outcomes of comprehensive spending reviews with equalities legislation and the Human Rights Act 1998 is a matter for the individual Government Departments concerned. There is a convention, reinforced by the ministerial code, not to disclose whether a Department has sought Law Officers' advice.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Obesity: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussion he has had with Ministers in the Department of  (a) Health and  (b) Education on the effects of activity levels on obesity in children.

Hugh Robertson: I have regular discussions with colleagues at the Department's of Health and Education on a range of issues.
	This Department is currently working with the Department for Education developing the "School Games". The games will give every school (including mainstream and special) and every pupil the opportunity to get involved, by harnessing the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire a generation of young people to participate in competitive sport. The main policy aim is to drive a long-term Olympic legacy of more children doing competitive sport which we believe will help tackle childhood obesity.

VisitEngland

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether VisitEngland has delivered to his Department a rural tourism action plan;
	(2)  whether VisitEngland has provided to his Department its review on seaside reports for the purposes of developing a seaside resort action plan;
	(3)  whether VisitEngland has provided to his Department a national research and intelligence programme for the purposes of understanding the performance of the industry.

John Penrose: The Tourism Action Plans being developed by VisitEngland (VE) are on schedule and will be published as soon as the Department's planned Tourism Strategy has been officially launched. The first tranche of 11 VE plans includes the Rural Tourism Action Plan and the Coastal Resorts Action Plan. Both of these drafts will be submitted to public consultation from 11 February for five weeks. The Action Plans are being produced by VE for the tourism industry and will involve their participation, both through the public and private sectors.
	VE has not provided the Department with a separate review of seaside reports but various publications have been fully considered, including the 2010 Report by Sheffield Hallam university.
	A National Research and Intelligence Programme is currently being developed along with the Action Plans and will follow their timetable.
	VE does however provide bespoke intelligence reports (all of which are published on the VE website). It also participates in the English Tourism Intelligence Partnership (ETIP), and stakeholders recently attended a major conference in London to define priorities and check progress of the ETIP Programme.

VisitEngland

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects VisitEngland to publish its English national marketing strategy for domestic and international markets.

John Penrose: VisitEngland's National Marketing Strategy will be published once this Department's Tourism Strategy is published shortly.

VisitEngland

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether VisitEngland has provided its plan for major events including the diamond jubilee.

John Penrose: VisitEngland's Major Events Plan is linked to the National Marketing Plan and is on schedule. It will be published once this Department's Tourism Plan has been published. The plan will be aimed at maximising the opportunities offered through the diamond jubilee, Torch Relay, the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games and other major events taking place in England.

VisitEngland

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much VisitEngland spent on internal industry marketing material in 2010.

John Penrose: Nothing, because VisitEngland does not promote itself to the industry. Its promotional activities are consumer-facing as part of its marketing activity.

SCOTLAND

Universities

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Universities Scotland on the likely effect of proposed reforms to the immigration system on the number of non-EU students in universities in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State has had a number of discussions with Universities Scotland, most recently on 31 January, on the proposals contained in the Government's recent consultation paper on student immigration.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what logistical planning his Department is undertaking for the withdrawal of  (a) British personnel and  (b) military equipment from Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence is necessarily focused on how best we can achieve the transfer of security to the Afghan National Security Forces by the end of 2014. As part of this work we are considering the scope and shape of the UK's enduring relationship with Afghanistan and what the likely role and composition of forces should be beyond 2015, including the logistical implications. This advice will be presented to the National Security Council in due course.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF bases have listed buildings and scheduled monuments within their grounds.

Andrew Robathan: The following RAF bases have listed buildings and/or scheduled monuments within their grounds: RAF Benson, RAF Bentley Priory, RAF Brampton, RAF Cosford, RAF Cranwell, RAF Halton, RAF Henlow, RAF High Wycombe, RAF Honington, RAF Leuchars, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Lyneham, RAF Neatishead, RAF Northolt, RAF Scampton, RAF Spadeadam and RAF Valley.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF bases in the UK are on  (a) owned land,  (b) leased land and  (c) land with legal rights; and what the annual land cost is in each case.

Andrew Robathan: The status of RAF bases in the UK for owned land, leased land or land with legal rights and annual land costs, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Type of land holding  Annual land cost (£ per annum) 
			 RAF Benson Freehold 0 
			 RAF Boulmer Part Freehold-Part Leasehold 20,000 
			 RAF Brampton/Wyton/Henlow Freehold 0 
			 RAF Brize Norton Freehold 0 
			 RAF Coningsby Freehold 0 
			 RAF Cottesmore Freehold 0 
			 RAF Cosford Freehold 0 
			 RAF Cranwell Freehold 0 
			 RAF Fylingdales Freehold 0 
			 RAF Halton Freehold 0 
			 RAF High Wycombe Part Freehold-Part Leasehold 0 
			 RAF Honington Freehold 0 
			 RAF Kinloss Freehold 4,615 
			 RAF Leeming Freehold 0 
			 RAF Leuchars Freehold 150 
			 RAF Linton on Ouse Freehold 0 
			 RAF Lossiemouth Freehold 179,600 
			 RAF Lyneham Freehold 0 
			 RAF Marham Freehold 0 
			 RAF Northolt Freehold 0 
			 RAF Odiham Freehold 0 
			 RAF Shawbury Freehold 16,800 
			 RAF Spadeadam Leasehold 1,000 
			 RAF St Mawgan Freehold 0 
			 RAF Valley Freehold 2,100 
			 RAF Waddington Freehold 0 
			 RAF Wittering Freehold 0

Defence: Procurement

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on future involvement in multinational defence equipment acquisition; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence's policy remains as set out in the strategic defence and security review. In working with other countries, we will generally favour bilateral equipment collaboration or off the shelf purchases because these are potentially more straightforward than multilateral arrangements.

Departmental Information Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) press officers,  (b) internal communications officers,  (c) external communications officers,  (d) communications strategy officers and  (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each other non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 9 February 2011
	 Communication of defence is important to support the reputation of the armed forces, understanding of military operations and other activities and to support recruitment. These figures include both military and civilian posts throughout Defence, including armed forces' commands and operational theatres. Savings have been made across the communications area during the course of the current financial year and further substantial reductions are planned. The latest figures for the numbers involved in specialist communications roles are for financial year 2009-10 and were produced in support of a Cabinet Office led exercise to capture such information across Government. They are as follows:
	
		
			   MOD/armed forces  Trading funds  Non-departmental public bodies 
			 Press officers 112 8 1 
			 Internal communications officers 52 8 0 
			 External communications officers 365 26 0 
			 Communications strategy officers 67 2.5 0 
			 Other 101 7 3

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which persons not employed by Government departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Andrew Robathan: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

Nimrod Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the state of airworthiness was of each dismantled Nimrod MRA4 aircraft prior to its dismantling; and what faults impacting upon airworthiness were found during the last refit of each such aircraft.

Nick Harvey: At the time of the decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service, none of the nine aircraft was airworthy.
	During the development of the aircraft, a number of design issues had been identified and were being addressed by BAE Systems. The identification in September 2010 of a potential safety issue associated with an uninsulated section of a hot air pipe, caused two of the aircraft (PA04 and PA05) to be grounded. None of the aircraft would have flown until this issue had been resolved.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places for people aged  (a) 16 to 18 years and  (b) 18 to 24 years he has allocated funding for in the academic year 2011-12.

John Hayes: Apprenticeships are funded by both the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (19+) and the Department for Education (16-18). The Government are strongly committed to investment in apprenticeships for people of all ages. We are determined to take real action to improve and expand the apprenticeships programme and create more apprenticeship opportunities than ever before.
	Funding for apprenticeships will increase to over £1,400 million in the 2011-12 financial year: £799 million for 16 to 18-year-olds; £605 million for those aged 19 and over(1). For 16 to 18-year-olds, the YPLA document "16 to 19 Funding Statement" (December 2010) states that funding will be sufficient to have 133,500 apprentice starts in the 2011/12 academic year. For adults (19 years and over), our indicative forecast is for 227,100 starts in 2011/12(2). This means we are committed to have funding in place to train over 360,000 apprentices (at all ages) in the 2011/12 academic year.
	Funding for adult apprenticeships (19+) is not further differentiated by age and there are no specific allocations for the 18-24 age group.
	(1) 16-18 figures: 16-19 Funding Statement, YPLA (December 2010); 19+ figures: Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth, BIS (November 2010).
	(2) Hansard www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110125/text/110125w0004.htm

Business: Government Assistance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in  (a) Newcastle and  (b) England received funding under the Grant for Business Investment scheme in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Grant for Business Investment (GBI) was introduced in October 2008. The following table thus includes data for the Selective Finance for Investment in England scheme, its predecessor. For 'Newcastle' we have used the Newcastle local authority area. The table shows the number of offers made to businesses in Newcastle and the number of offers accepted in England over the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Awards in Newcastle  Awards in England 
			 2005/06 10 503 
			 2006/07 5 464 
			 2007/08 11 402 
			 2008/09 12 352 
			 2009/10 12 376

Departmental Location

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for local offices of his Department in each region; where he expects each to be located; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: It is important that BIS has a policy presence outside of Whitehall so we can communicate effectively with local enterprise partnerships, businesses and other organisations.
	The network is still in the early stages of development, but it is expected there will be six small teams in different parts of the country, although locations have not yet been confirmed.
	The teams will support BIS's overall objectives, particularly those relating to growth, jobs and rebalancing the economy.
	This response replicates the response to PQ2010/3769 which asked a similar question.

Green Investment Bank

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2011,  Official Report, column 620W, on the Green Investment Bank, when he expects the Government to announce decisions on the asset sales which will provide proceeds for the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: The Government are pushing forward their asset sale programme and expect to be able to launch new sales across a number of assets over the coming months, with proceeds expected towards the end of 2011. This should therefore fit with the timetable for the Green Investment Bank to be making its first investments during 2012. The £1 billion DEL funding allocation is for investments to be made in 2013/14.
	To give information on expected proceeds from individual sales would prejudice the Government's commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that asset sales they are considering will be sufficient to provide significant additional funding above the £1 billion allocated from departmental budgets. They will make further announcements on this funding stream in due course.

Sheffield Forgemasters: Loans

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any concerns were raised with him by  (a) his officials and  (b) other individuals and organisations in respect of the likely effects on the supply chain of his decision to withdraw the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters (i) before and (ii) after the loan was withdrawn.

Mark Prisk: Both before and after the Government's decision not to proceed with the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, the Department received a small number representations from MPs, organisations and members of the public expressing concern about the Government's decision. Some, but not all, of these referred to the nuclear supply chain.

Tobacco: Sales

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on businesses of removing tobacco point-of-sale displays from retail outlets.

Mark Prisk: Powers to prohibit the permanent display of tobacco products in retail outlets are contained in the Health Act 2009 and the Department of Health (DH) is the lead Government Department. DH are responsible for assessing the impact of the net cost to business. BIS is in discussions on the impact of DH's proposals subject to the independent scrutiny by the Regulatory Policy Committee and then consideration by the Reducing Regulation Committee.

UK Trade and Investment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason UK Trade and Investment did not include Israel in its promotional material about the forthcoming middle east trade initiative; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The first tranche of leaflets to market the Partner ME 2011 event listed those countries for which we had confirmed participation at the time of printing. We have since had confirmation that Israel will be represented and web marketing material has been updated. Israel's participation is now included on all marketing material for this event.

EDUCATION

Children's Centres: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with Hammersmith and Fulham Council on funding for children's centres.

Sarah Teather: There is enough money in the recently announced early intervention grant (EIG) to maintain the existing network of Sure Start children's centres, accessible to all but identifying and supporting families in greatest need.
	I am not aware of any direct communication between the Department for Education and Hammersmith and Fulham local authority on funding for children's centres. Our agents, Together for Children (TFC) report they have had routine discussions about the way in which Hammersmith and Fulham deliver its children's centre programme.

Children's Centres: Stoke on Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated to children's centres in Stoke-on-Trent in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 In the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 the Department allocated revenue and capital funding for children's centres to Stoke-on-Trent as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Children's centres and ex-Sure Start local programme revenue  Sure Start children's centres capital  Total 
			 2009-10 7,345,162 602,863 7,948,025 
			 2010-11 7,583,126 372,288 7,955,414 
			 Total 14,928,288 975,151 15,903,439 
		
	
	These funding strands are paid as part of the wider Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant. Children's centre allocations are not individually ring-fenced within the grant and are therefore notional. Local authorities have the freedom to spend flexibly to best meet local objectives.

College of Social Work

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has reached an agreement with UNISON on membership of the College of Social Work.

Tim Loughton: Government are supporting the establishment of a college of social work in line with the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force for an organisation to articulate and promote the interests of good social work. It will give the profession strong, independent leadership; a clear voice in public debate, policy development and policy delivery; and strong ownership of professional social work standards. The Department does not seek to influence any partnership agreements the college might establish once it emerges from the current development stage and has not entered into any agreements on membership with Unison or any other organisation.

College of Social Work: Social Care Institute for Excellence

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Social Care Institute for Excellence will have a role in the running of the College of Social Work.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 26 January 2011
	The Social Care Institute for Excellence has been asked to facilitate the establishment of the College of Social Work, providing administrative support and expertise in a developmental phase of two years. Neither Government nor SCIE seek to influence the form or function of the emerging college. SCIE will have no role in the governance of the college that emerges.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff in his Department are employed on fixed-term contracts; and what the job title of each is.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 10 January 2011
	 The number of staff in the Department employed on fixed-term contracts and their titles (by grade) is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Grade band  Total 
			 Executive assistant 26 
			 Executive officer (1)- 
			 Higher executive officer 48 
			 Senior executive officer 12 
			 Grade 7 5 
			 Grade 6 (1)- 
			 Senior civil service (1)- 
			 (1) Less than five

Disability: Children

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future status of ring-fenced funding provided to local authorities to support children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Funding for disabled children will be delivered to local authorities through the Early Intervention Grant. The Early Intervention Grant (EIG) is a new funding stream created for local authorities to invest in early intervention for the most vulnerable children, young people and families, bringing together funding for a number of early intervention and preventative services, including those which relate to disabled children.
	We have announced that we will provide over £800 million through EIG to support short breaks for disabled children over the spending review period.
	This figure represents a small increase in the levels of funding which were provided to local councils for this activity in 2010-11, and includes the previously announced funding to be provided from Child Trust Fund money.
	There will be no ring-fenced funding for local councils to support children with disabilities in this coming spending review period. The Government previously committed to reducing the ring fences around central Government funding to allow local areas more autonomy and flexibility to prioritise services locally.

Pre-school Education: Disadvantaged

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure the provision of 15 hours of free nursery education for disadvantaged children aged two years.

Sarah Teather: Through the Education Bill we will seek to amend Section 7 of the Childcare Act (2006), so that through regulations we can introduce a statutory entitlement to 15 hours of free early education a week for disadvantaged two-year-olds. Funding of £64 million/£223 million is being provided to allow local authorities to offer free places to disadvantaged two-year-olds over the next two years. This will enable authorities to build towards the statutory entitlement which we plan to introduce in 2013. Funding will rise to £380 million a year by 2014-15.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which persons not employed by Government Departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Bob Neill: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

EU Grants and Loans: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2010,  Official Report, column 382W, on EU grants and loans: North East, what the monetary value is of the funding to the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Competitiveness Programme that remains uncommitted.

Bob Neill: The North East has an ERDF allocation of €375.7 million. €236.6 million has been committed, leaving €139.1 million uncommitted as at 6 February 2011.

European Regional Development Fund

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will chair the European Regional Development Fund programme monitoring committees in each region from March 2011.

Bob Neill: We are committed to giving localities and communities greater control and greater influence over the programmes and services delivered in their areas. To help achieve this, I have decided that we should restructure existing Programme Monitoring Committees as Local Management Committees which can ensure that, within the parameters already agreed with the EU, local people and businesses can influence the shape of the programme. These committees give strategic direction to the operational programmes and ensure that they are delivered compliantly and that outputs are delivered. I will be looking to ensure that the local representatives from across the public, private, voluntary and community and local authority sectors are represented on the Local Management Committees.
	I am committed to ensuring my Department plays a key role in ensuring that the delivery of ERDF remains compliant with EU regulations. To deliver that, I have decided that a DCLG director will chair the Local Management Committees. But to underline our commitment to localism, I have also decided that a significant figure from the local community should be appointed as a deputy chair of the Local Management Committee, to ensure that the ERDF programmes are overseen and shaped by local people. We will work with local communities to determine who should occupy this role.
	We will be working closely with the existing membership of the Programme Monitoring Committees and other local representatives to determine the practical details of the changes I want to make. That will include the role of the Local Management Committees, how the deputy chair and membership will be selected and what underpinning arrangements they will need.

Housing: Armed Forces

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what representations he has received from local housing authorities on the likely effects of returning personnel from overseas military bases as a result of changes announced in the strategic defence and security review;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on local housing authorities of the return of military personnel as a result of proposals to close bases overseas announced in the strategic defence and security review;
	(3)  when he last had discussions with the Ministry of Defence on the effects on private and public housing sectors of the return of military personnel posted overseas as a result of changes announced in the strategic defence and security review.

Andrew Stunell: Responsibility for addressing current and future housing needs rests with individual local authorities; the Department made no assessment of the possible effects of the return of overseas military personnel on local housing authorities.
	The Government are committed to increasing housing supply and seeing more of the homes that people want, in the places that people want them. The New Homes Bonus Scheme, announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Local Government on 12 November 2010, will create a simple, transparent and permanent incentive to increase the supply of new homes.
	The Department and MOD continue to discuss matters of shared interest. We are not aware of representations from local housing authorities on the likely effects of returning personnel from overseas military bases, as a result of changes announced in the strategic defence and security review. We would not expect to receive such representations before MOD's plans on returning personnel have been developed and finalised. In considering relocation of military personnel from overseas military bases as a result of the review, accommodation would be taken into account.

Housing: Prices

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of domestic dwellings valued at £2 million or higher in each  (a) local authority,  (b) parliamentary constituency and  (c) region.  [Official Report, 16 February 2011, Vol. 523, c. 5MC.]

Bob Neill: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of domestic dwellings valued at £2 million or higher. This estimate would require figures on the individual value of all domestic dwellings in each area. Such data are not held by the Department. Estimating the current capital value of individual domestic dwellings in each area would require a valuation/revaluation exercise. The Coalition Agreement rules out a domestic revaluation in this Parliament.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition his Department uses for sustainable housing.

Andrew Stunell: There is no single definition of sustainable housing as many different factors will bear on the sustainability of any particular housing development. The Code for Sustainable Homes is the national voluntary standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes, and applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The code measures the sustainability of a new home against nine categories of sustainable design, and covers energy and carbon dioxide, water use, materials, surface water runoff, waste, pollution, health and well-being, management, and ecology.

Local Government Finance: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the change in  (a) the amount of formula grant,  (b) the amount of specific or area-based grants and  (c) the total central government grant to Sunderland city council is between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Bob Neill: Change in central Government funding to be provided to Sunderland city council in 2011-12 on a like for like basis is as follows:
	Reduction in formula grant will be £20.1 million
	Reduction in overall revenue spending power will be £28.0 million (8.8%) with a reduction of £12.2 million in specific/area-based grants.
	Full information on the basis of these calculations can be accessed on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/spfull1s.xls

Public Houses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the  (a) economic and  (b) social factors leading to trends in the level of closure of (i) pubs and (ii) clubs;
	(2)  if he will assess the effects on social cohesion of trends in the frequency of visits to  (a) pubs and  (b) clubs.

Bob Neill: The Government support the development and maintenance of pubs that understand and respond to the needs of their local community, and my officials hold regular meetings with a variety of organisations form the pub and brewing trade to discuss their particular concerns.
	Reports following Government research on alcohol taxation and pricing issues are available on the Treasury and Home Office websites respectively.
	The Government have in place a package of measures designed to help community pubs, including:
	aiming to ensure through the Localism Bill that community organisations have a fair chance to bid to take over and run assets and facilities that are important to them, including local pubs;
	the Department will undertake a public consultation into the issue of restrictive covenants on pubs, with a focus on the impact they have on local communities. This will be completed in the summer of 2011;
	communities interested in taking ownership of their local pub can seek advice from the Government-funded Asset Transfer Unit and the Plunkett Foundation;
	helping firms with business rates: making small business rate relief automatic, introducing a more generous small business rate relief scheme for a year from October, and giving councils powers to levy discretionary business rate discounts-which could, for example, be used to support local pubs;
	the Home Office announced on 18 January the Government's intention to ban the sale of alcohol below cost by setting a lower limit of duty plus VAT, as an important first step in delivering the Government's commitment to ban the sale of alcohol below cost;
	scrapping the previous government's plans to introduce a 10% above inflation rise in the tax on cider; and
	reforming licensing rules to make its easier to play live music in local pubs.

Runaway Children

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on dealing with children who run away from home.

Andrew Stunell: This Department has not provided any specific guidance to local authorities on dealing with children who run away from home. However, guidance has been provided by the Department for Education.
	We are working closely with colleagues in the Department for Education to prevent and tackle youth homelessness and to support young people to live independently. In addition, the Department for Education is represented on the cross-government Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness which focuses on addressing the complex causes of homelessness and rough sleeping.

TREASURY

Debts: Advisory Services

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the ending of the Financial Inclusion Fund on provision of debt advice after March 2011.

Mark Hoban: The Government have not yet taken a decision on the future of the projects currently funded from the FIF, including the face-to-face debt advice service.
	The Government remain committed to helping poorer households to access appropriate financial services, to improve their financial resilience and to avoid falling into unsustainable levels of debt.

Departmental Photography

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on photography since May 2010.

Justine Greening: The Treasury spent £206 on photography between 1 May 2010 and 31 January 2011.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which persons not employed by Government Departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Justine Greening: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites for business purposes, subject to them having a minimum level of security clearances. For security reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the additional revenue that would be raised by the introduction of a machine games duty in each of the first three years following its introduction.

Justine Greening: The introduction of machine games duty is not intended to raise additional revenue. It will replace the revenue from amusement machine license duty and VAT currently charged on machines.

Food: Prices

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is taking steps to curb commodity speculation for the purposes of limiting increases in food prices in the developing world.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna), by the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), on 17 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 528-29W.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the level of gold and foreign currency reserves.

Justine Greening: The level of the UK's official holdings of reserves is released on a monthly basis by HM Treasury and can be found at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_12_11.htm
	As of the end of January 2011 the UK's gross reserves stood at $82.04 billion (£51.23 billion).

Income Tax: Football

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions HM Revenue and Customs has had with professional football clubs on the payment of income tax on payments to professional footballers for image-rights.

Justine Greening: HMRC has a statutory duty of confidentiality to its customers and does not comment on individual cases. However HMRC are well aware of attempts to use image rights to avoid tax and will challenge these arrangements where appropriate. The taxation of image rights is a complex area where the tax treatment will very much depend on the facts of the particular case.

Income Tax: Football

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of income tax which would have been received by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last 10 financial years had payments to professional footballers in respect of image-rights been treated as income.

Justine Greening: HMRC does not hold this data.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of taxpayers earning £100,000 and over in each  (a) local authority,  (b) parliamentary constituency and  (c) region in 2011-12;
	(2)  how many taxpayers would be affected by lowering the threshold for the additional rate of income tax to £100,000 in each  (a) local authority,  (b) parliamentary constituency and  (c) region in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14, (iv) 2014-15 and (v) 2015-16;
	(3)  if he will estimate the effect on levels of revenue of lowering the threshold for the additional rate of income tax to £100,000 in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13,  (c) 2013-14,  (d) 2014-15 and  (e) 2015-16.

David Gauke: The following table shows the estimated change to income tax liabilities from lowering the threshold for the additional rate of income tax to £100,000.
	
		
			   Estimated change in income tax liabilities (£ million) 
			 2011-12 1,200 
			 2012-13 1,300 
			 2013-14 1,500 
			 2014-15 1,600 
			 2015-16 1,800 
		
	
	Estimates take account of behavioural responses, such as changes in work effort, increased tax planning, avoidance or migration motivated by tax rate changes. These effects, and associated revenue costs, are highly uncertain. It should be noted that the tapered withdrawal of the personal allowance occurs over an income range after deductions, starting at £100,000.
	The figures refer to accrued liabilities and do not reflect the timing of receipts.
	The number of UK taxpayers with total income in excess of £100,000 in each region in 2011-12 is shown in the following table. This table also shows the estimated number of taxpayers who would be affected by a reduction in the additional rate threshold to £100,000, where their income after deductions and allowances exceeds £100,000.
	
		
			  Number  ( thousan d) 
			  Region  Total income greater than £100,000  Income after deductions and allowances greater than £100,000 
			 North East 12 10 
			 North West and Merseyside 47 37 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 34 27 
			 East Midlands 33 26 
			 West Midlands 39 31 
			 East of England 79 65 
			 London 180 152 
			 South East 155 127 
			 South West 44 35 
			 Wales 14 10 
			 Scotland 44 34 
			 Northern Ireland 11 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 13 12 
			 United Kingdom 706 576 
		
	
	The number of taxpayers who would be affected in later years is likely to increase gradually over time, reflecting growth in incomes relative to a fixed additional rate threshold.
	It is not possible to produce reliable estimates for local authorities and parliamentary constituencies due to small sample sizes at these levels of geography.
	Estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes and projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's autumn forecast 2010.

Income Tax: Tax Yields

Tessa Munt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income tax was generated from those with an income of  (a) £6,475 to £7,475,  (b) £7,476 to £8,475,  (c) £8,476 to £9,475 and  (d) £9,476 to £10,000 on each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the estimated income tax liabilities generated from 2006-07 to 2010-11, for the income bands specified above. Income after deduction is defined as total income minus pension contributions and charitable contributions.
	
		
			  Total tax 
			  £  million 
			  Income after deductions  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 £6,475-£7,475 228 190 186 96 94 
			 £7,476-£8,475 441 365 390 290 290 
			 £8,476-£9,475 686 592 569 470 467 
			 £9,476-£10,000 466 402 376 312 311 
			 All 1,820 1,550 1,520 1,170 1,160 
		
	
	Tax liabilities decrease primarily due to increases in the personal allowance, from £5,035 in 2006-07 to £6,475 in 2010-11.
	Estimated figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes. Estimated figures for 2008-09 onwards are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes and projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's autumn forecast 2010.

National Insurance Contributions

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has met representatives of the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss the regional national insurance contribution holiday.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. However, a list of meetings with external stakeholders is published on the Treasury website. This list can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Pensions

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of raising the trivial pension threshold.

Mark Hoban: At present, an individual who is aged 60 or over and has less than £18,000 in total pensions wealth is permitted to take all of their pension savings as a lump sum, which is known as 'trivial commutation'.
	As stated in a previous answer to my hon. Friend, the median pension wealth held by individuals aged 16 or over in 2006-08 was £6,500 for members of a defined contribution occupational pension scheme, and £12,000 for members of a personal pension plan(1). On this basis, the Government feel that the £18,000 limit for trivial commutation remains an appropriate threshold.
	The Government published a call for evidence on early access to pension saving in December 2010, which also invited views on whether there was a case for introducing further flexibility in the trivial commutation rules. The call for evidence is open for submissions until 25 February 2011(2).
	(1) "ONS Wealth and Assets Survey 2008/09", table 6.3.
	(2) http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_early_access_pension _savings.htm

Public Expenditure

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the underlying figures of Chart 1.1 published on his Department's flickr photostream on consolidation of the cyclically-adjusted current budget.

Justine Greening: Chart 1.1 on the Treasury flickr photostream
	http://www.flickr.com/photos/hmtreasury/5217567353/
	was published following the OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2010. The chart updates the same chart illustrating the forecast consolidation in the cyclically-adjusted current budget that was published as chart 1.3 in the June Budget and also by the previous Administration.
	The data underlying the chart are the forecast for cyclically-adjusted current borrowing as at the March 2010 Budget, the June 2010 Budget and the OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2010:
	
		
			2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15  2015-16  2016-17 
			 March 2010 Budget Cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget -4.8 -4.6 -3.4 -2.5 -1.8 -1.3 - - 
			  Change in the cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget - 0.2 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.5 (1)0.7 (1)0.7 
			   
			 June 2010 Budget Cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget -5.3 -4.8 -3.2 -1.9 -0.7 0.3 0.8 - 
			  Change in the cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget - 0.5 1.6 1.3 1.2 1.0 0.5 - 
			   
			 OBR's EFO 2010 Cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget -5.3 -4.7 -3.3 -1.8 -0.5 0.5 0.9 - 
			  Change in the cyclically-adjusted surplus on current budget - 0.6 1.4 1.5 1.3 1 0.4 - 
			 (1) This was an assumption as to the consolidation in the cyclically-adjusted current budget at the March 2010 Budget.

Revenue and Customs

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to publish its  (a) change and delivery plan and  (b) business implementation plan.

Mark Hoban: In response to part  (a) of the question, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will publish its Change Plan in February 2011.
	In response to part  (b) of the question relating to the business implementation plan, HMRC will publish its business implementation plans in April 2011.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised from stamp duty land tax on residential properties  (a) up to £150,000,  (b) from £150,001 to £250,000,  (c) from £250,001 to £500,000,  (d) from £500,001 to £1 million,  (e) over £1 million and  (f) in total in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Justine Greening: Estimates of revenue raised from stamp duty land tax on residential property by stamp duty land tax price bands are given at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-3-0910.xls

Taxation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a study on the effect on the economy of implementing a flat tax.

David Gauke: The Government have no plans to conduct a study on the implementation of a flat tax.

Taxation: Members

Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the online submission facility for self-assessed tax returns is not available to hon. Members.

David Gauke: The vast majority of self-assessment taxpayers can take advantage of HMRCs online services to file their tax return via the internet. However, a small proportion of SA taxpayers (including MPs) need to complete special dedicated pages. These forms are not available online since it would be disproportionately costly to develop the links to departmental computer systems.

VAT: Charities

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to bring charitable providers of health care services within the provisions of section 41 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994.

David Gauke: The Government have no plans to bring forward such proposals. Section 41 of the VAT Act provides limited recovery of VAT for Government Departments, including the NHS, in respect of certain outsourced services. The VAT which is refunded to the NHS and other bodies is fully taken into account as part of those bodies' overall funding arrangements, and the schemes that are in place represent the most efficient means of delivering this part of their funding.

VAT: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation he undertook with the business community in Northern Ireland in advance of the rise in value added tax.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers consult Northern Ireland Ministers on a range of issues on a regular basis. Treasury Ministers and officials also have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of the policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Welfare Tax Credits

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the estimated savings to be made from reforms of tax credits and housing benefit take account of the changes to housing benefit entitlement arising from reductions in tax credit entitlements;
	(2)  what plans he has to monitor the effects on levels of public expenditure on housing of reductions in expenditure on tax credits;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effects on levels of housing benefit expenditure of the reduction in the proportion of child care costs covered by the child care element of working tax credit.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 10 January 2011,  Official Report, column 212W. Full details of the savings from reforms to tax credits and housing benefit are available in the published document 'Spending Review 2010 policy costings', available on HM Treasury's website:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf
	There are no plans to monitor and record expenditure on housing benefit which is attributable to changes in the budget for tax credits.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many arrest warrant applications were made to district judges by private individuals under laws relating to universal jurisdiction between 1 January 1995 and 1 January 2010; how many such applications were granted; and how many prosecutions taken in consequence resulted in a conviction.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), to the hon. Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois) on 9 November 2010,  Official Report, column 204W, information about applications for arrest warrants in respect of universal jurisdiction offences is not recorded, but staff at the City of Westminster magistrates court are aware often such applications in the last 10 years. It is public knowledge that two applications were granted, but in neither case was the warrant executed.

Bribery Act 2010

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to implement in full the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: I am working on the statutory guidance required to make that guidance practical and useful for legitimate business and trade. It will be published once I am confident that it addresses the legitimate concerns of all those who took part in the consultation process. The Ministry of Justice's guidance will be published alongside joint prosecution guidance issued by the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and the Director of Public Prosecutions. This will be followed by a three month notice period before full implementation of the Act.

Bribery Act 2010

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evidence he has evaluated on the effect of implementation of the Bribery Act 2010 on the competitiveness of British business; and if he will place in the Library a copy of such evidence he has evaluated.

Kenneth Clarke: An impact assessment was published by the then Secretary of State for Justice in 2009 for the introduction of the Bribery Bill. We have obtained further representations on the subject in the course of the consultation process.

Bribery Act 2010

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent meetings he has had with representatives of  (a) business organisations and  (b) businesses to discuss the implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; and who was present on each occasion.

Kenneth Clarke: I met representatives of the CBI, Multi-National Chairmen's Group and the International Chamber of Commerce UK on 19 January, the Federation of Small Businesses on 31 January and the British Chamber of Commerce on 2 February to discuss the Bribery Act and the guidance under section 9 to commercial organisations about preventing bribery.

Bribery Act 2010

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he last met representatives of charities to discuss the implementation of the Bribery Act 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: I met representatives of Transparency International UK and the Bond Governance and anti-corruption groups which represent non-governmental organisations and charities working on international development on 24 January.

Bribery Act 2010

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he sought legal advice on his decision to delay the implementation of the Bribery Act 2010;
	(2)  by what date he expects to complete his review of the implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; what criteria he plans to use in the review; what estimate he has made of the likely cost of the review; whether the review will receive submissions from external organisations; when he expects to inform Parliament of the conclusions of the review; and whether the report of the review will be published.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government are committed to the implementation of the Bribery Act. I am determined to ensure that it is implemented in a way which tackles corruption but does not impose unnecessary cost and uncertainty on legitimate business and trade. I am therefore working on the statutory guidance required to make that guidance practical and useful for legitimate business and trade. It will be published once I am confident that it addresses the legitimate concerns of all those who took part in the consultation process. As is usual, this work is informed by legal advice, where appropriate.

Bribery Act 2010

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with  (a) the Confederation of British Industry,  (b) the Institute of Directors,  (c) the British Chambers of Commerce and  (d) the Engineering Employers Federation on his decision to delay the implementation of the Bribery Act 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: I have met a number of stakeholders including the CBI, the BCC and representatives of the NGO community to discuss the Bribery Act and the guidance we are producing. My decision to delay implementation of the Act was not taken as a result of these meetings, but because I was not yet satisfied that the guidance was sufficiently practical and comprehensive to be published.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which persons not employed by Government Departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Jonathan Djanogly: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Ministry of Justice sites, subject to the usual security checks.
	This mainly applies to employees of firms contracted to provide services but also includes the Judiciary who are independent from and not employed by government.
	For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

National Offender Management Service: Operating Costs

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of the National Offender Management Service headquarters in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Agency was established from April 2008. There are therefore no comparable figures for the financial years 2005-06 to 2007-08.
	The NOMS Agency accounts for 2009-10 show, on a comparable basis, figures for both 2008-09 and 2009-10 for headquarters and policy as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 151 
			 2009-10 255 
		
	
	The year on year difference includes £113 million which is due to the accounting treatment of the impairment of assets.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the results of the prison estates review; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: In 2009, an organisational review was begun of prison works departments. However, this review became part of a larger review following the merger of the National Offender Management Service Agency Estate Capacity Directorate and the Ministry of Justice Estates Directorate in April 2010. A new structure at national level has been announced.
	No decisions have yet been made about regional or local structures or about the how the estate will be managed in the longer term. Current reporting lines for local works staff and regional estate managers remain unchanged. Staff and trade unions will be consulted about any proposals for change.

Prisons: Construction

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the  (a) direct and  (b) indirect costs to the public purse of the commissioning process for the suspended private finance initiative prison project at Runwell, Essex to date.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is set out as follows.
	 Indirect costs
	Approximately £0.6 million has been spent on financial and legal advice for the establishment of a PFI framework for potential new 1,500 place prisons, following the selection in April 2009.
	In early 2008 and April 2009 other indirect costs included those related to the initial site search process and pre-application town planning meetings for both Runwell in Essex and Beam Park West in the London borough of Dagenham. The site search at that time was for locations for up to five 1,500 place prisons and site search costs relating to individual sites, such as Runwell, cannot be individually identified.
	 Direct costs
	In addition to indirect costs, approximately £1.5 million has been spent on the Runwell project, on the town planning application, legal, consultation and technical advice since the site was identified in April 2009.

Prisons: Construction

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) direct and  (b) indirect costs to the public purse of the commissioning process for the previously planned 600-bed prison project at Maghull, Merseyside to date;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of compensation due to the contractor for the previously planned 600-bed prison project at Maghull, Merseyside; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Direct costs for the Maghull site since its purchase in 1998 are approximately £9 million. This includes site purchase costs, site security and obtaining planning consent for a prison. A further £7 million has been spent on obtaining detailed planning permission, discharging the planning conditions and demolishing the buildings that were on the site.
	Indirect costs consisting of external professional advice (including legal, financial, insurance and technical advisors, as well as Partnerships UK), for the procurement of prisons at Maghull and Belmarsh West were approximately £2.4 million. As the tendering process for both prisons was run simultaneously, a breakdown of the cost of external professional advice for Maghull alone is not available.
	Discussions about possible compensation are under way with the contractor of the former development at Maghull and related details are therefore commercial in confidence.

Social Impact Bonds

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timetable the National Offender Management Service has set for the Social Impact Bond pilot.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has commissioned Social Finance Limited to run the Social Impact Bond at Peterborough prison for a maximum period of six years.
	The Social Impact Bond started working with offenders on 16 August 2010. The project will work with three 1,000-offender cohorts, and the final cohort will close when it numbers 1,000 offenders, or in August 2016 if the capacity is not reached. The assessment of reconviction rates for this cohort will begin 18 months after this point, and by February 2018 at the latest.

Social Impact Bonds

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the evaluation of the National Offender Management Service Social Impact Bond pilot; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice will publish an initial 'lessons learned' assessment of the Social Impact Bond pilot by May 2011.
	An interim evaluation report will be published after the reconviction rate for the first cohort has been calculated. The first cohort will close when it numbers 1,000 offenders, or in August 2012 if the capacity is not reached. The independent assessment of reconviction rates will commence 18 months after the cohort closes, and by February 2014 at the latest.
	A full evaluation of the Social Impact Bond will be published after the pilot has concluded, and the reconviction rate for the final cohort has been calculated. This assessment of reconviction rates will commence 18 months after the final cohort closes, and by February 2018 at the latest.

Social Impact Bonds

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding has been allocated to the National Offender Management Service to date to pilot the Social Impact Bond.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has allocated a total of £3 million of funding for the Social Impact Bond pilot, from which outcome payments will be made if the Bond has significant success in reducing reconvictions of offenders. The Big Lottery Fund, in its role of supporting innovation, will provide approximately £5 million of further funding.
	All implementation and operating costs for the pilot will be met through social investment raised by Social Finance Limited. The Ministry of Justice will only fund outcome payments if the pilot achieves a sufficient reduction in reconviction events. If the required reduction is not achieved, no payment will be made.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to review his Department's policy on use of biofuels in the transport network; and what the  (a) timing and  (b) scope of the review will be;
	(2)  when he expects the EU directive on renewable energy to be transposed into domestic legislation; what timetable he has set for his Department's consultation on the Renewable Transport Obligation prior to this legislation; what the terms of reference of the consultation will be; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: holding answer 3 February 2011
	I am clear that biofuels have a role in our efforts to tackle climate change particularly where there is no viable alternative fuel identified, as is the case with aviation. However it is a prerequisite that biofuels used must lead to a worthwhile reduction in carbon emissions and be sustainable. I am engaging with ministerial colleagues across government to ensure a coherent approach to the deployment of sustainable biofuels.
	Amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Order (RTFO) 2007 are being considered to implement both the transport elements of the renewable energy directive (RED) and aspects of the closely related fuel quality directive (FQD).
	We have taken additional time to consider how best to implement the RED and FQD and are working to transpose the directives in the second half of this year, and to implement by the end of 2011. The Department will publish consultation documents shortly.
	As part of the consultation exercise we intend to set out a timetable for implementation and will share this with stakeholders. The consultation will include implementation proposals on the detail of the sustainability criteria to be transposed into the RTFO.
	The RED contains a requirement that the European Commission undertake a wide ranging review of the directive by 31 December 2014 and propose amendments if appropriate. Any such proposal may lead to further revisions of the RTFO.

Biofuels

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to implement provisions from the EU renewable energy directive prohibiting the import of biofuels which do not fulfil sustainability criteria.

Norman Baker: Amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel (RTFO) Order 2007 are being considered to implement both the transport elements of the renewable energy directive (RED) and aspects of the closely related fuel quality directive (FQD).
	Biofuels used towards meeting the RED and FQD targets must meet a number of mandatory sustainability criteria.
	We have taken additional time to consider how best to implement the RED and FQD and are working to transpose the directives in the second half of this year, and to implement by the end of 2011.
	The Department will publish consultation documents shortly.

Biofuels

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the use of imported biofuels from areas at risk of  (a) degradation of natural habitats,  (b) indirect land use change and  (c) loss of biodiversity.

Norman Baker: The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) requires the UK to ensure that 10% of energy consumed in transport comes from renewable sources by 2020 and to ensure that any biofuels used towards this target meet a number of mandatory sustainability criteria. These include that biofuels must deliver a greenhouse gas saving of at least 35%, and must not be sourced from areas of high biodiversity, from high carbon soils (such as rainforests or wetlands), or from nature protection areas.
	We have taken additional time to consider how best to implement the RED and FQD and are working to transpose the directives and the sustainability requirements in the second half of this year, and to implement by the end of 2011. The Department will publish consultation documents shortly.
	The UK Government responded to a European consultation on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) in October 2010. The European Commission is now undertaking further assessment of whether and how to address ILUC in European legislation, which will conclude by July 2011.

Bus Services: Subsidies

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of bus routes which received a public subsidy in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is paid to operators of all eligible local bus services. This includes the vast majority of local bus routes in England. In 2009-10, £430 million of BSOG was paid to operators of local bus services in England.
	In London, Transport for London (TfL) tender for local bus services. Outside London, English local authorities tender for around 20% of local bus services. In 2009-10, around £1,070 million was spent by TfL and local authorities on tendered services.
	As a result, the vast majority of local bus routes in England receive public subsidy. We do not hold information on the amount of subsidy per bus route.

Buses: Fuels

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives his Department provides to bus operators to use fuel which has minimal adverse effects on the environment.

Norman Baker: Under the £45 million Green Bus Fund, the Department for Transport is supporting the purchase of around 500 new low carbon emission buses (LCEBs). LCEBs use around 30% less fuel than conventional diesel buses and emit around a third less carbon dioxide. All buses supported by the Green Bus Fund have to be ordered by the end of March 2011 and must be in service by the end of March 2012.
	In addition, from 1 April 2010, a 3% increase in bus service operators grant (BSOG) has been payable to any operator which achieves a fuel efficiency improvement (as measured in kilometres per litre) of 6% compared with the 'base year'.
	Furthermore, a payment of 6p for every kilometre operated by Low Carbon Emission Buses has been payable since 1 April 2009.

Crossrail Line: Woolwich

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the agreement between his Department and Transport for London and Berkeley Homes for the construction of the station box at Woolwich as part of the Crossrail scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Negotiations to secure a funding solution for Woolwich station box are ongoing. Crossrail Ltd, the Department for Transport, Transport for London and Berkeley Homes have been working hard to secure an agreement which is in line with principles made clear to Parliament in 2007. These principles are that a station box at Woolwich can go ahead so long as it can be funded at no extra cost to the public purse above the current cost of Crossrail.

Cycle to Work Scheme

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of take-up by  (a) employees and  (b) employers of the Cycle to Work scheme.

Norman Baker: Cycle to Work Schemes make use of the 1999 Finance Act annual tax exemption, which allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit.
	While the Department does not hold data regarding the take up of the scheme, the Cycle to Work Alliance report that there are currently over 400,000 employees taking advantage of the scheme. This involves 650 bike retailers and 15,000 employers.

Departmental Information Officers

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) press officers,  (b) internal communications officers,  (c) external communications officers,  (d) communications strategy officers and  (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each other non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: holding answer 9 February 2011
	Figures are taken from the Operational Efficiency Programme benchmarking exercise for the period of April 2009 to March 2010. The figures represent full-time equivalents (FTEs). The NDPBs figures requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost due to this information not being held centrally.
	The Department's central communications function is currently being downsized to contribute to the overall reduction in staff costs by around 25% as part of the Department's programme for meeting the Government's policy of reducing administration costs by 33% during the spending review period.
	
		
			  Communications staff, full-time equivalents, 2009-10 
			Central Department  Executive agencies 
			 1 Internal communications 7.0 25.5 
			 2 Digital/social media 6.0 10.3 
			 3 Strategic communications 10.0 23.5 
			 4 Corporate communications 0 17.0 
			 5 Marketing 17.5 67.3 
			 6 Media/press 19.0 30.5 
			 7 Senior management 1.0 5.5

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Norman Baker: A table listing single tender contracts awarded since 12 May 2010 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Dover Harbour Board

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2011,  Official Report, column 151W, on the Dover Harbour Board, on what dates since May 2010 officials in his Department met the Dover Harbour Board; and which officials were present at each such meeting.

Michael Penning: A number of policy officials in the Department met representatives of Dover Harbour Board in the normal course of business on 17 June 2010. Policy officials were also present at a meeting I held on 21 June with the chairman of Dover Harbour Board and my visit to the port of Dover on 8 December.
	Departmental officials dealing with the decision on the proposed transfer scheme have not held meetings with representatives of Dover Harbour Board.

Dover Harbour Board

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the majority view was of respondents to the two consultations carried out by his Department on the transfer scheme proposed by the Dover Harbour Board.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to him on 25 January 2011,  Official Report, column 152W.
	I have placed in the Library of the House summaries of the representations received on the application from Dover Harbour Board to allow it to sell the port of Dover. The Decision Minister, the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), is presently considering the application made by the Dover Harbour Board in the light of those representations.

Electric Vehicles

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) electric cars and  (b) hybrid cars sold in the UK in 2009-10.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold data on vehicle sales, but does hold data on newly-registered vehicles. During the 2009-10 financial year there were 202 electric cars and 17,437 hybrid cars newly registered at addresses in the UK.

High Speed 2

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what preparatory work his Department has undertaken on the interoperability of High Speed 2 with European rail standards;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely costs arising from interoperability requirements in the construction of High Speed 2.

Philip Hammond: The specification designed by HS2 Ltd is for HS2 to be fully interoperable with existing European high speed railways. While no specific estimates have been made, designing the line to European standards is likely to reduce costs as off-the-shelf componentry could be utilised.

High Speed 2: Finance

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has allocated for exceptional hardship purposes in its budget for High Speed 2.

Philip Hammond: The Department for Transport has estimated £50 million for the cost of the Exceptional Hardship Scheme over the life of the scheme from launch on 20 August 2010 to its assumed end date around the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Local Sustainable Transport Fund

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had recent discussions on the role of employers in use of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Norman Baker: As part of the bidding guidance issued to accompany the £560 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund, local authorities are encouraged to engage with local businesses and employers when preparing applications in order to ensure that such bids meet the key objectives of the fund-to create growth and cut carbon.

Localism Bill

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to take steps to encourage community ownership bids for statutory harbour authorities under clauses 66 to 70 of the Localism Bill.

Michael Penning: The Localism Bill is currently being considered by the House of Commons Committee. It will be for the community to determine whether it wants to make a challenge or a bid, under the opportunities provided by the Localism Bill.

Parking: Fees and Charges

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from local authorities on the level of parking charges and penalties since 12 May 2010; and how many of these requested greater scope for local authorities in determining the level of such charges and penalties.

Norman Baker: holding answer 9 February 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 10 January 2011,  Official Report, column 36W, and the right hon. Member for Warley (Mr Spellar) on 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 264W. I have not received further representations from local authorities since those dates.
	One local authority has requested greater scope in determining the level of parking penalty charges.

Railways: Disability

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2011,  Official Report, column 891W, on railways: disability, if he will assess the provision of support available to disabled passengers who choose to travel at short notice.

Norman Baker: We do not currently intend to carry out an assessment of the level of service and facilities available to disabled passengers who choose to travel at short notice, as this is primarily an operational matter for the train operating companies and Network Rail in their compliance with the obligations placed upon them by the Equalities Act. We do however understand that Passenger Focus is planning further research in this area, which we await with interest.

Railways: Franchising

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanism he plans to put in place to measure rail overcrowding in  (a) Manchester,  (b) Leeds and  (c) Birmingham under his proposed rail franchise rules.

Theresa Villiers: The crowding measures, and associated mechanisms, that will be used in non-London urban centres will be developed when the relevant commuter franchises are re-let reflecting the specific issues that relate to each area.

Railways: Franchising

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the relative consideration to be given to  (a) investment,  (b) profitability,  (c) punctuality and  (d) overcrowding in determining the length of future rail franchises;
	(2)  what factors his Department will take into account in determining the length of future rail franchises.

Theresa Villiers: We believe that future franchises should generally be for around 15 years but that shorter contracts may be necessary in some circumstances, for example, where major works like Thameslink, will involve significant changes in the configuration of services. Where significant private sector investment is proposed, we are prepared to consider franchises of up to 22.5 years.
	The significant variation in the nature of services provided on different parts of the network means that a one size-fits-all approach to franchising is not appropriate. Franchise terms will therefore be tailored to the specific circumstances of the services in question.
	We anticipate that issues around profit sharing, punctuality and crowding will be assessed as part of the bid process and will be reflected in contract outputs where appropriate.

Railways: Overcrowding

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources his Department has allocated to help train operators manage overcrowding.

Theresa Villiers: In total the Government will deliver more than 2,100 new rail carriages on to the network by May 2019. Of these 1,200 will be for new Crossrail and Thameslink services. This will in turn free up hundreds of existing electric carriages to be deployed on to the newly electrified lines by franchised train operators. In total, there will be at least 1,850 net additional carriages on the network by 2019. The Government are currently engaged in commercial negotiations with the franchised operators about the allocation of the unallocated element of 650 further carriages for delivery before 2014.

Roads: Accidents

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether parties injured in a motor vehicle accident where the driver at fault is not insured are entitled to compensation from the public purse.

Michael Penning: Victims in accidents involving uninsured drivers are eligible to claim compensation from the Motor Insurers' Bureau, the UK compensation body funded by the motor insurance industry.

Sea Rescue

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his proposals to reduce the number of  (a) coastguard control centres and  (b) coastguard control staff with the provisions of the international convention on maritime search and rescue 1979.

Michael Penning: The proposals as outlined in the consultation document "Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century" are compatible with the international convention on maritime search and rescue 1979.
	In the MCA's proposal, the communications infrastructure and the provision of search and rescue facilities (coastguard rescue teams, helicopters, lifeboats etc.) are unaffected, and are considered to be appropriate with the provisions of the convention. Furthermore the ability of centres to communicate with, and support one another will be enhanced.

Shipping: Oil

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ships gave notice of ship to ship oil transfers in January 2011, as required under MARPOL Annex 1 New Chapter 8.

Michael Penning: Chapter 8 of annex I to the MARPOL convention has not yet been implemented in the UK. It will be implemented by means of regulations which are being prepared by the Department for Transport.
	In January 2011:
	13 applications for permission to carry out ship-to-ship transfers in the UK territorial sea, resulting in 16 actual ship-to-ship transfers, were processed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. (Two other applications were submitted but withdrawn.)
	No ships notified the UK that they planned ship-to-ship transfer operations beyond the 12 nautical mile limit of the UK territorial sea.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans to convert those trust ports classified as public corporations into organisations owned by the local community.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has no such plans.
	In relation to the Port of Dover, as my hon. Friend is aware, the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), is currently considering an application for a transfer of the port undertaking made by Dover Harbour Board under the Ports Act 1991.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 265W, on trust ports, what relevant policy guidance his Department provides; and if he will place in the Library a copy of such guidance.

Michael Penning: No such specific guidance has been issued. However, any such guidance, if issued, would be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 265W, on trust ports, whether any sanctions are available to him in respect of trust ports which have failed to deal with stakeholders in an accountable manner beyond asking them to explain their reasons.

Michael Penning: If a stakeholder considers that a trust port or its board has not dealt with their concerns appropriately, then they should bring it to the Department's attention. After the board of the trust port has had an opportunity to comment, the Department will consider what the appropriate response should be.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the Member for Christchurch of 16 September 2010,  Official Report, column 1250W, on trust ports: privatisation, what relevant representations his Department received in relation to the proposals by Dover Harbour Port.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to him on 25 January 2011,  Official Report, column 152W.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy that when a trust port is sold the levy of 50 per cent. applicable under the provisions of the Ports Act 1991 be passed to the community to be reinvested for the benefit of the locality;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to allow trust ports designated as public corporations to be transferred to independent status without the proceeds accruing to the local community or to the Exchequer.

Michael Penning: The Ports Act 1991 requires all payments of the levy on the sale of a major trust port to be made into the Consolidated Fund. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend, has no plans to bring forward legislation to amend the Ports Act.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Marine Management Organisation has received any recent proposals from a trust port to seek powers through a harbour revision order to modify the terms of the Ports Act 1991 for the purposes of relinquishing public corporation status.

Michael Penning: The Marine Management Organisation has not received any recent such proposals from a trust port.

Trust Ports

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that public corporation status for major trust ports be rescinded in favour of community ownership.

Michael Penning: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no such plans.
	In relation to the port of Dover, as my hon. Friend is aware, my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State (Mrs Villiers) is currently considering an application for a transfer of the port undertaking made by Dover Harbour Board under the Ports Act 1991.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence with  (a) the Local Government Association,  (b) local authorities and  (c) the devolved administrations on his proposals to localise council tax benefit.

Steve Webb: There has been no formal ministerial correspondence on this matter, however, there has been contact at official level with devolved Administrations, all local authorities and their associations on proposals announced as part of the Spending Review, specifically a letter from the head of housing benefit strategy division within the Department for Work and Pensions to colleagues within the Local Government Association, London Councils and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities dated 20 October 2010, which the Secretary of State has placed in the Library.

Departmental Publications

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the publication and distribution of its DWPeople magazine in each year since the magazine's first publication.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions launched an all staff magazine in April 2010 called DWPeople. This magazine is written and designed in-house by staff in DWP Internal Communications.
	The costs are:
	April 2010 to December 2010 = £127,387.70 (net costs)
	This cost was for a bi-monthly publication, with 40,000 copies produced each issue and made available to all DWP staff.
	We are currently looking at lower cost electronic options to distribute DWPeople.
	The Department is currently reviewing expenditure across the board to ensure we are delivering value for money for the taxpayer.

Disability Living Allowance: Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of local housing allowance claimants are in receipt of disability living allowance;
	(2)  how many disability living allowance claimants will be affected by changes to local housing allowance in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the average change in the level of benefit payments to such claimants.

Steve Webb: The information on the proportion of local housing allowance claimants who receive disability living allowance is not available.
	Information is collected on claimants' income from disability living allowance on the new single housing benefit extract. However, this information has not yet been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Department published a document on "Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12" on 23 July 2010. This can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/impacts-of-hb-proposals.pdf
	An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published on 30 November. These can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-impact-nov10.pdf
	and
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-eia-nov10.pdf

Disability Living Allowance: Industrial Diseases

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have successfully claimed industrial injuries disability benefit for osteoarthritis in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency in each of the last three years.

Maria Miller: Osteoarthritis of the knee in coal miners, and osteoarthritis of the hip in farmers are both included within the industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme. We do not have information on the numbers of successful claims for either disease at constituency level, but can provide the numbers of successful claims for osteoarthritis of the knee in coal miners at the national level. The number of farmers paid benefit for osteoarthritis of the hip is not currently available.
	Since the addition of osteoarthritis of the knee to the list of prescribed industrial diseases on 13 July 2009, 18,605 customers received an award of, or an increase in, industrial injuries disablement benefit.
	This information is based on an informal count by the Jobcentre Plus offices dealing with industrial injuries disablement benefit at December 2010. This information will be published in due course.

Future Jobs Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the operation of the future jobs fund on economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: At up to £6,500 per person the future jobs fund (FJF) is expensive; creates temporary, short term posts; and the grants do not include any incentives to move people into permanent jobs. As part of the evaluation of the FJF we will be conducting an impact assessment to estimate the difference that the policy has made to participants' employment and benefit receipt outcomes. To enable participants' outcomes to be tracked for a sufficient period analysis will be undertaken from autumn 2011 This will inform a cost-benefit assessment based on benefit, fiscal and economic savings. However it is not possible to reliably identify the potential impact on economic growth.

Housing Benefit

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the timetable he has set for implementation of the proposed housing benefit cap and the proposed 30(th) percentile calculation change.

Steve Webb: The Department laid amendments to Housing Benefit legislation on 30 November 2010. Following advice from the Social Security Advisory Committee and key stakeholders in relation to the implementation of these measures and to ensure a smooth transition, the measure to set local housing allowance rates at the 30(th) percentile and the overall weekly caps will both come into force for new customers from 1 April 2011. This means all measures that will adjust local housing allowance rates in 2011 will come into force on the same date. However, existing customers will have more time to adjust to any reduction in entitlement by having up to nine months transitional protection at their existing local housing allowance rate from the anniversary date of the claim.

Housing Benefit

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of single 25 to 35 year-old local housing allowance claimants living in single-occupancy households in  (a) West Lothian and  (b) Scotland.

Steve Webb: At October 2010, our records show that there were 8,110 recipients of housing benefit in Scotland assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements who were single and aged between 25 and 35 years old. Out of these recipients, 170 were living in West Lothian local authority. Information about the occupancy type of these households is not available.
	 Note:
	Figures are derived from the single housing benefit extract for October 2010 and are rounded to the nearest 10 recipients.

Housing Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent in real terms on housing benefit in each year since the introduction of the benefit.

Steve Webb: The first year of housing benefit in broadly its current form is 1988-89. Housing benefit expenditure in real terms is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2010- 11 prices (£ million) 
			 1988-89 7,429 
			 1989-90 7,860 
			 1990-91 8,737 
			 1991-92 10,279 
			 1991-92 10,279 
			 1992-93 12,245 
			 1993-94 14,060 
			 1994-95 15,175 
			 1995-96 15,879 
			 1996-97 16,017 
			 1997-98 15,331 
			 1998-99 14,863 
			 1999-2000 14,575 
			 2000-01 14,514 
			 2001-02 14,739 
			 2002-03 15,571 
			 2003-04 14,790 
			 2004-05 15,341 
			 2005-06 15,950 
			 2006-07 16,443 
			 2007-08 16,945 
			 2008-09 17,927 
			 2009-10 20,597 
			 2010-11 forecast 21,477 
			  Notes: 1. Forecasts for 2010-11 are based on the autumn 2010 forecast. 2. Housing benefit expenditure can be found at the following URL: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/alltables_budget2010.xls 3. Housing benefit expenditure by local authority district can be found at the following URL: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/h_tables_budget2010.xls  Source: Local Authority Subsidy returns

Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the average income of  (a) women and  (b) men retiring in 2011 will be made up of (i) basic state pension, (ii) occupational and personal pension, (iii) additional state pension and (iv) other savings.

Steve Webb: The exact information requested is not available.
	Estimates of the levels of pensioners' incomes are published in the Pensioners' Income Series, which uses Family Resources Survey data. The latest year for which figures are available is 2008-09. It should be noted that information provided for 2008-09 covers all those who were pensioners in that year and not those that retired in that year.
	The following table gives information available for the average incomes of pensioner couples, single male pensioners and single female pensioners in 2008-09 split out by various income sources. It is not possible to split out basic state pension and additional state pension from the survey data-these are both included within state pension income in the following table:
	
		
			  All pensioners in 2008-09  Average income (£ per week)  As a percentage of gross income 
			  Pensioner couples   
			 Gross income 564 100 
			  Of which:   
			 State pension income 150 27 
			 Non state pension benefit income 41 7 
			 Occupational pension 145 26 
			 Personal pension income 25 4 
			 Investment income 57 10 
			 Earnings 141 25 
			 Other income 5 1 
			
			  Single male pensioners   
			 Gross income 304 100 
			  Of which:   
			 State pension income 116 38 
			 Non state pension benefit income 47 15 
			 Occupational pension 81 27 
			 Personal pension income 13 4 
			 Investment income 28 9 
			 Earnings 17 6 
			 Other income 2 1 
			
			  Single female pensioners   
			 Gross income 264 100 
			  Of which:   
			 State pension income 109 41 
			 Non state pension benefit income 53 20 
			 Occupational pension 54 20 
			 Personal pension income 4 2 
			 Investment income 19 7 
			 Earnings 22 8 
			 Other income 3 1 
			  Notes:  1. These statistics are based on the Family Resources Survey.  2. The estimates presented here are for the United Kingdom.  3. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.  4. The analysis provided is for pensioner units. A pensioner unit is defined to be either a single pensioner over state pension age (i.e. a man aged 65+ or a woman aged 60+ in 2008-09) or a pensioner couple, either married or cohabiting, where one or more are over state pension age. The analysis does not reflect income from others in a household. So, for example, if a pensioner lives with their adult children, the children's income is not reflected in this analysis.  5. Gross income is income from all sources received by the pensioner unit including income from social security benefits (including housing benefit), earnings from employment, or self-employment, any private pension and tax credits.  6. State pension income consists of basic state pension, additional state pension, widow's pension and widowed parent's allowance.  7. Non state pension benefit income consists of pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit, social fund grants, carer's allowance, disability living allowance and attendance allowance.  8. Average incomes have been rounded to the nearest pound.

Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the additional basic state pension entitlement is for  (a) a woman and  (b) a man retiring in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2018.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Average amount of weekly state second pension/state earnings-related pension scheme for new claimants at state pension age 
			  £, cash terms 
			   March 2016  March 2018 
			 Male 35 37 
			 Female 21 23 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1. 2. Award relates to the average weekly amount of state second pension/state-earnings related pension scheme in payment to someone claiming at state pension age in a particular year and exclude those above state pension age receiving a deferred claim. 3. Figures do not include graduated retirement benefit. 4. Figure include claimants living overseas.

Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average occupational pension for a  (a) woman and  (b) man retiring in (i) 2011, (ii) 2016 and (iii) 2018.

Steve Webb: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Men  Women 
			 2011 143 78 
			 2016 162 102 
			 2018 178 106 
			  Notes: 1. Results shown are mean weekly average occupational pension income for those who have some occupational pension income (those with a nil amount are excluded) and who reach state pension age in the indicated years; they are in cash terms and are rounded to the nearest £1. 2. Results are based on version 11_02 of DWP's pension simulation model Pensim2 and reflect all legislated and announced pension policy changes; for example, automatic enrolment into workplace pension schemes, increases in state pension age etc. Figures shown are indicative as they are based on small sample sizes; Pensim2 contains a 60,000 representative sample of the population and only a proportion of these reach state pension age in any given year with a non-zero occupational pension amount. 3. Results show combined income from all occupational pension schemes, both defined contribution (including NEST) and defined benefit schemes; they do not include any income from state pension, other state benefits (either contributory or income based) or personal pensions (including stakeholder pensions).  4. Historical information on proportions in receipt of occupational pensions and amounts received are available through the DWP's Pensioners' Income Series, copies of which are available in the Library.

Social Security Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of out-of-work benefits were in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) severe disablement allowance and  (c) employment support allowance in each year since 1992; and how many of these were also in receipt of disability living allowance in each such year.

Maria Miller: The information requested regarding the number of people receiving incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance is currently only available for the period May 2002 to May 2010. We are also currently unable to provide figures for the number of people receiving each of these benefits who were also in receipt of disability living allowance. Collating the information requested for these benefits between 1992 and 2002 will take a longer period due to the complexity and extent of work required.
	I will undertake to write to the hon. Member by 28 February with the rest of the information requested, and will deposit a copy of the letter in the House Library.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants: Great Britain and abroad 
			  As at May each year  Incapacity benefit  Severe disablement allowance  Employment and support allowance 
			 2002 2,471,140 336,480 n/a 
			 2003 2,494,890 320,760 n/a 
			 2004 2,508,770 305,940 n/a 
			 2005 2,490,850 292,870 n/a 
			 2006 2,449,990 280,010 n/a 
			 2007 2,417,710 267,610 n/a 
			 2008 2,382,000 255,560 n/a 
			 2009 2,130,130 244,090 288,270 
			 2010 1,892,980 233,710 527,120 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance for new claimants from October 2008. 4. Data includes those cases receiving 'credits only'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has any plans to renegotiate the contract with companies providing medical assessments for employment and support allowance and disability living allowance applicants following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Chris Grayling: The DWP Medical Services contract was awarded to Atos Healthcare, a division of Atos Origin, in 2005 for a period of seven years, with the option to extend for a further three and then for a further two. In 2009 the Department negotiated an extension to the contract to 31 August 2015 with the exclusion of disability living allowance from 2013, which will be put to competitive tender. The extension is made subject to Atos Healthcare delivering substantial savings against the current estimated cost of £100 million per annum.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's document ESA214-The Work Capability Assessment, page 4, what the cost of the contract to the private company carrying out the medical services element of the work capability assessment was in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: Information relating to the cost to the contractor for delivery of the medical services element of the work capability assessment is commercially sensitive and release of the information would prejudice the interests of Atos Healthcare and the Department's future dealings with Atos Healthcare or other service providers.

Work Capability Assessment

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessments conducted by Atos were carried out on people suffering from a terminal illness in 2010.

Chris Grayling: In 2010, 4,647 employment support allowance cases were referred to Atos Healthcare by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) under the terminal illness code. Of these, 3,253 cases were confirmed as terminally ill.
	In 2010, 100,942 disability living allowance cases were referred to Atos Healthcare by the DWP under the terminal illness code. No information is held on how many of these were confirmed as terminally ill.
	No information is held relating to terminal illness cases for other benefit types.

PRIME MINISTER

Remploy

Ian Austin: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley of 2 February 2011,  Official Report, column 857, on Remploy, for what reasons he believes the previous administration had planned to phase out support for Remploy; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The modernisation plan for Remploy was introduced by the previous administration and under which 29 factories were closed or merged. The plan also contained unrealistic sales targets of 130% growth in procurement for Remploy's factories.
	Like all manufacturing organisations Remploy faces increased global competition and the need to overcome the impact of the recession. As a result the previous administration's modernisation plan's sales targets have proved impossible to achieve. For this reason Remploy management have decided to offer voluntary redundancies to staff and managers in the factories and central functions.
	The Government have confirmed that Remploy's operational budget for the current five-year modernisation period remains protected at £555 million.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which persons not employed by Government Departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Stephen O'Brien: Passes may be issued to individuals where there is an identified business need for them to make frequent visits to Department for International Development premises, subject to the usual security checks. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided in aid to Palestinians, excluding for police and security purposes, in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: Excluding funding for specific projects to support the development of the Palestinian security sector, UK aid to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPTs) totalled:
	£59.4 million in 2007-08;
	£60.2 million in 2008-09; and
	£82.1 million in 2009-10.
	These figures include contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees both in the OPTs themselves and also in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
	The figures also include our direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which supports among other things the PA's payment of recurrent costs, such as civil service and security force salaries. As this funding is not earmarked, we cannot disaggregate the proportion used to pay salaries in the security sector. All support provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to the OPTs, including our support to Palestinian policing and security, is classified as official development assistance (ODA) in accordance with the rules of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has allocated to aid to Zimbabwe in 2010-11.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated £70 million to Zimbabwe for 2010-11 through its bilateral aid programme. Final spending figures for 2010-11 will be available by October 2011 in DFID's annual publication, 'Statistics on International Development', which provides a detailed summary of UK aid flows.
	None of the funds provided by the UK are channelled through the Government of Zimbabwe. DFID works through established partners such as the United Nations and non-governmental organisations.

HEALTH

Care UK

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) senior officials in his Department have had with representatives of Care UK since his appointment.

Paul Burstow: Ministers and senior officials in the Department have had the following meetings with independent sector organisations where Care UK representatives were in attendance.
	
		
			  No.  Date of meeting  Ministers/senior officials in attendance  Purpose of meeting 
			 1 30 July 2010 Bob Ricketts-Director, Provider Policy Any Willing Provider (AWP) Workshop-Workshop on proposals to extend AWP into community services. In attendance were representatives of Independent Sector/Voluntary Sector Organisations including Care UK. 
			 2 16 September 2010 Ian Dalton-Managing Director, Provider Development NHS Chief Executive Conference for the Independent Sector. Mike Parish, Chief Executive, Care UK in attendance. 
			 
			 3 26 October 2010 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) Meeting with David Worskett (Director of NHS Partners Network)-Care UK representative was also in attendance as part of the NHS Partners Network. 
			   Bob Ricketts-Director, Provider Policy  
			 
			 4 2 November 2010 Bob Ricketts-Director, Provider Policy Future of Provider Landscape Workshop-In attendance were representatives of Independent Sector/Voluntary Sector Organisations including Care UK. 
			 
			 5 18 January 2010 Ian Dalton-Managing Director, Provider Development Attendance at the NHS Partners Network Dinner at the Commonwealth Club. 
			   Bob Ricketts-Director, Provider Policy

Darent Valley Hospital

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has undertaken any consultations on health provision at Darent Valley hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has not undertaken any consultations on health provision at Darent Valley hospital. It is for national health service commissioners to consider the provision of services for their local population.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all new contracts his Department has tendered over £10,000 have been published with associated tender documents on the Contracts Finder website since its inception.

Simon Burns: The Department has, since September 2010, published the documentation for 99 tenders over the value of £10,000 both on the interim website that was made available until December 2010 and more recently Contracts Finder. The Department has not published two tenders during this as exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act were considered to apply to both.
	The Government's commitment to publish all new contracts awarded was from January 2011. The Department will be publishing shortly those contracts awarded since January 2011, subject to consideration of possible exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.
	The Department has put in place an internal monitoring process to ensure that new tenders and contracts are published in line with the Government's commitments.

Departmental Redundancy Pay

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a confidentiality clause in a contract entered into with a public body and concerning a special severance payment prevents the other party to that contract from discussing with their hon. Member  (a) details of the agreement and  (b) matters relating to the agreement.

Simon Burns: Special severance payments when staff leave public service employment should be exceptional. They will always require Treasury approval. Whether the payment is made under a compromise agreement or not, which may or may not include a confidentiality clause, setting out exactly what is expected of both parties, is a matter for local discretion.
	The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 provides that any clause or term in contract, or other agreement between a worker and their employer, is void insofar as it purports to preclude the worker from making a protected disclosure.
	In relation to 'gagging clauses', the Department's stance has not altered since 2005. Contracts of employment are a matter between the employing organisation and its employee. It is likely that most contracts will include some form of confidentiality clause as employees will have access to sensitive patient and commercial information which should not be released. However, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 provides that any clause or term in contract, or other agreement between a worker and their employer, is void insofar as it purports to preclude the worker from making a protected disclosure.
	The Department made clear, in a Health Service Circular on the Public Interest Disclosure Act (HSC 1999/198), that local policies should prohibit confidentiality gagging clauses in contracts of employment and compromise agreements which seek to prevent the disclosure of information in the public interest.

Departmental Redundancy Pay

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to satisfy himself that all special severance payments comply with HM Treasury guidance Managing Public Money, annex 4.13;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to satisfy himself that all special severance payments achieve value for money in line with HM Treasury guidance Managing Public Money.

Simon Burns: The NHS Finance Controllers Office (in the Department of Health) has produced and published detailed guidance for employers to follow around the process for making severance payments. This guidance states that employers should consider why a severance case represents value for money, before a business case for the payment is produced.
	Strategic health authorities are required to submit all business cases for severance payments to the NHS Finance Controllers Office in the Department of Health. The NHS Finance Controllers Office then seeks HM Treasury approval for the business case.
	Foundation trusts must also seek HM Treasury approval, through Monitor, for all severance payments.
	Consequently, all severance payments made by national health service employers must be approved by HM Treasury. As part of this approval process, HM Treasury apply their own criteria to assess whether severance payments achieve value for money.

General Practitioners

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals for GP consortia he has received to date in  (a) Enfield,  (b) London and  (c) England; and what criteria will be used to assess such proposals.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 will provide for general practitioner (GP) consortia to be established from April 2012, prior to taking on full statutory responsibilities from April 2013. The Bill sets out that it will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to determine applications to become a consortia.
	A rolling programme of GP pathfinder consortia has been established to test the different elements involved in GP-led commissioning and enable emerging GP consortia to get more rapidly involved in current commissioning decisions. Groups of GP practices keen to participate in the pathfinder programme put themselves forward to their strategic health authority (SHA). SHAs will approve any group of practices to become a pathfinder if they can demonstrate clinical leadership, local authority engagement, and an ability to contribute to the delivery of the local quality, innovation, productivity and prevention agenda in their locality. They will also need to be able to operate in the context of the existing service and financial plans in the health communities they are working in.
	For details of the pathfinder consortia already established I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 19 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 846-49W.

Gosport War Memorial Hospital

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure accountability in the case of the deaths of patients at the Gosport War Memorial hospital in the late 1990s;
	(2)  if he will initiate a public inquiry into the deaths of patients at Gosport War Memorial hospital in the late 1990s.

Simon Burns: The police investigated the circumstances surrounding the deaths of several elderly patients at Gosport War Memorial hospital in the late 1990s; the Crown Prosecution Service subsequently decided that there was insufficient evidence to justify any prosecutions. The doctor whose actions had come under suspicion was also subject to a General Medical Council Fitness to Practise hearing which concluded that her continued registration should be made subject to several conditions. We understand that the doctor has now retired.
	The Portsmouth coroner will be holding an inquest into the death of another elderly patient who died at Gosport War Memorial hospital at the time concerned. We will wait until the conclusion of that inquest before deciding whether any further action is appropriate; however, we cannot at present see what more a public inquiry could discover.

Hospital Wards: Closures

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) urgent care units,  (b) accident and emergency departments and  (c) maternity departments are the subject of a closure proposal.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. Activity on national health service reconfiguration, either planned or already under way is a matter for the local NHS.
	The Secretary of State for Health has outlined new strengthened criteria he expects decisions on NHS service changes to meet. All service reconfiguration proposals must:
	demonstrate support from general practitioner commissioners
	ensure arrangements for public and patient engagement, including local authorities should be further strengthened
	ensure greater clarity about the clinical evidence base underpinning proposals
	take into account the need to develop and support patient choice

Infant Foods: Labelling

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had at EU level on the effects on consumer confidence of industry practices in labelling formula milk containing docosahexanenoic acid.

Anne Milton: European Union-wide legislation on the use of certain health claims for docosahexanenoic acid was agreed at the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health on 6 December 2010. Consumer understanding of the labelling of these products was discussed by EU member states and was taken into account in the conditions of use which apply to the claims. The claims, which are now subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament, would not be permitted on infant formula (products suitable for babies from birth). However they could be used on follow-on formula (suitable for babies from six months of age), weaning foods and any other foods meeting the conditions of use.

NHS: Pay

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the pay of all NHS staff will remain within the remit of the relevant national pay review bodies after implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of NHS staff that will be covered by national pay and bargaining structures following implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Simon Burns: The Government have committed to work with NHS Employers and trade unions to explore appropriate arrangements for setting pay following the end of the two-year public sector pay freeze. At this stage, I am unable to predict the outcome of those discussions and, therefore, what the future remit of the pay review bodies may be.
	We are unable to estimate the number of national health service staff that will be covered by future national pay and bargaining structures. The Government have made it clear that pay decisions should be led by health care employers rather than imposed by the Government.
	To achieve this, all individual employers will have the right, as foundation trusts have now, to determine pay for their own staff. However, it is likely that many providers will want to continue to use national contracts as a basis for their local terms and conditions.

NHS: Pay

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) effectiveness and  (b) costs to the public purse of the Agenda for Change programme in the NHS.

Simon Burns: Agenda for Change was introduced to replace a pay system which was no longer fit for purpose and was designed to deliver improvements in NHS services and give trusts the tools, advice and guidance to match staff resources and activities to patient need and organisational objective.
	Use of these tools is delivering the following productivity and quality benefits:
	Re-designing services around patients. Harmonising terms and conditions of service helps break down barriers between occupational groups and enhance team and gives employers the freedom to create new roles to support patient care.
	Higher quality care. The new system of pay progression (linked to the Knowledge and Skills Framework) provides incentives for staff to acquire and use new skills.
	Greater flexibility in the use of staff. New ways of recognising unsocial hours and extended service cover provides greater incentives for flexible working patterns, enabling services to be extended into evening and weekends.
	Boosting recruitment and retention. The new pay scales offer higher starting pay and maxima, helping to improve participation rates and keep nurses working for the NHS.
	Tackling local labour market pressures through the use of recruitment and retention premia.
	It is for individual organisations to ensure they are making best use of the service benefits and flexibilities offered by Agenda for Change.
	The paybill cost for Agenda for Change staff was £32.51 billion in 2009-10, the latest date for which figures are available.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which five  (a) NHS acute trusts,  (b) foundation trusts,  (c) mental health trusts,  (d) special health authorities,  (e) strategic health authorities,  (f) primary care trusts,  (g) ambulance trusts and  (h) care trusts made the most special severance payments by (i) total value of payments and (ii) total number of payments per organisation in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many special severance payment cases have been notified to HM Treasury by  (a) NHS acute trusts,  (b) foundation trusts,  (c) mental health trusts,  (d) special health authorities,  (e) strategic health authorities,  (f) primary care trusts,  (g) ambulance trusts and  (h) care trusts, in accordance with HM Treasury Managing Public money guidelines in each of the last three years; what the total value of such payments was; and what proportion of payments included a confidentiality clause.

Simon Burns: The following table shows the number and value of special severance payment cases that have been approved by HM Treasury (HMT) in respect of national health service organisations.
	The table includes the number and total value of approvals for payments by HMT. It does not include the actual payments, as this information is not held by the Department. The final actual payments made can be lower than the approved amount or, not made at all.
	The Department does not hold equivalent data on special severance cases for foundation trusts. The table therefore does not include foundations trusts. Foundation trusts' severance cases are under the direction of Monitor.
	The Department does not hold information regarding the number of confidentiality clauses that have been included as part of any special severance payment case.
	
		
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010- 11( 1) 
			   Number of cases approved by HMT  Total value of approved payments (£)  Number of cases approved by HMT  Total value of approved payments (£)  Number of cases approved by HMT  Total value of approved  payments (£) 
			 NHS acute trusts 71 2,774,508 47 592,408 13 224,225 
			 Mental health trusts 19 382,929 11 499,042 2 3,448 
			 Special health authorities 13 154,053 9 271,900 2 57,214 
			 Strategic health authorities 3 801,223 3 199,985 3 35,791 
			 Primary care trusts 75 1,686,176 47 737,789 10 133,496 
			 Ambulance trusts 3 38,290 5 30,750 4 51,000 
			 Care trusts 6 118,325 5 137,294 0 0 
			 NHS Direct 2 35,000 3 21,800 0 0 
			 Total 192 5,990,504 130 2,490,968 34 505,174 
			 (1) 1 April 2010 to 8 February 2011.

Primary Care Trusts: Costs

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administrative costs of operating each primary care trust, excluding the administrative costs of running clinical services where the trust was the provider, was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Figures representing total expenditure on administrative and clerical staff in 2009-10 are shown in the following table. It is not possible to disaggregate the element of this total cost that can be attributed to the running of clinical services where the trust was the provider.
	
		
			  Administrative and clerical staff 
			  Name  £000 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust (PCT) 12,194 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 4,900 
			 Barnet PCT 10,539 
			 Barnsley PCT 16,178 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 3,155 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 6,648 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 8,108 
			 Berkshire East PCT 6,498 
			 Berkshire West PCT 10,376 
			 Bexley NHS Care Trust PCT 5,928 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 20,488 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 7,268 
			 Blackpool PCT 6,566 
			 Bolton PCT 12,684 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 5,693 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 21,858 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 18,820 
			 Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT 4,194 
			 Bristol PCT 15,582 
			 Bromley PCT 9,978 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 8,456 
			 Bury PCT 7,359 
			 Calderdale PCT 7,551 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 12,960 
			 Camden PCT 37,919 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 16,578 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 14,481 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 14,542 
			 Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 9,550 
			 County Durham PCT 9,723 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 12,008 
			 Croydon PCT 13,524 
			 Cumbria Teaching PCT 10,009 
			 Darlington PCT 12,818 
			 Derby City PCT 8,290 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 15,324 
			 Devon PCT 16,890 
			 Doncaster PCT 14,984 
			 Dorset PCT 10,730 
			 Dudley PCT 11,241 
			 Ealing PCT 20,064 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 14,797 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 15,156 
			 East Riding Of Yorkshire PCT 4,691 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 9,265 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 21,915 
			 Enfield PCT 16,803 
			 Gateshead PCT 5,967 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 14,662 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 8,335 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 9,748 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 12,763 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 6,706 
			 Hampshire PCT 25,269 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 6,134 
			 Harrow PCT 4,262 
			 Hartlepool PCT 622 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 3,958 
			 Havering PCT 17,061 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 14,213 
			 Herefordshire PCT 15,241 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 9,253 
			 Hillingdon PCT 7,308 
			 Hounslow PCT 7,797 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 15,701 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 12,750 
			 Islington PCT 12,217 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 19,016 
			 Kingston PCT 2,669 
			 Kirklees PCT 8,089 
			 Knowsley PCT 8,534 
			 Lambeth PCT 16,519 
			 Leeds PCT 20,264 
			 Leicester City PCT 10,506 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 19,272 
			 Lewisham PCT 11,800 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 18,557 
			 Liverpool PCT 36,128 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 7,306 
			 Manchester PCT 24,011 
			 Medway PCT 12,519 
			 Mid Essex PCT 9,131 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 4,689 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 9,640 
			 Newcastle PCT 13,117 
			 Newham PCT 11,821 
			 Norfolk PCT 18,523 
			 North East Essex PCT 12,568 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus PCT 9,016 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 10,896 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 2,494 
			 North Somerset PCT 2,234 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 4,705 
			 North Tyneside PCT 3,149 
			 North Yorkshire And York PCT 16,341 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 19,212 
			 Northumberland Care PCT 3,799 
			 Nottingham City PCT 10,105 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 18,601 
			 Oldham PCT 7,767 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 9,510 
			 Peterborough PCT 13,337 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 9,863 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 11,403 
			 Redbridge PCT 4,720 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 4,445 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 5,287 
			 Rotherham PCT 9,761 
			 Salford PCT 12,827 
			 Sandwell PCT 11,514 
			 Sefton PCT 10,606 
			 Sheffield PCT 15,919 
			 Shropshire County PCT 4,793 
			 Solihull NHS Care Trust PCT 5,070 
			 Somerset PCT 10,036 
			 South Birmingham PCT 19,795 
			 South East Essex PCT 8,010 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 3,053 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 13,800 
			 South Tyneside PCT 5,044 
			 South West Essex PCT 15,557 
			 Southampton City PCT 14,612 
			 Southwark PCT 8,275 
			 Stockport PCT 8,094 
			 Stockton-On-Tees Teaching PCT 2,129 
			 Stoke On Trent PCT 11,131 
			 Suffolk PCT 7,411 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 11,996 
			 Surrey PCT 17,833 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 7,460 
			 Swindon PCT 3,698 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 10,937 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 7,065 
			 Torbay Care PCT 8,713 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 23,311 
			 Trafford PCT 5,514 
			 Wakefield District PCT 16,440 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 13,549 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 6,557 
			 Wandsworth PCT 15,699 
			 Warrington PCT 7,608 
			 Warwickshire PCT 15,693 
			 West Essex PCT 6,316 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 8,896 
			 West Kent PCT 15,093 
			 West Sussex PCT 27,564 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 7,826 
			 Westminster PCT 13,266 
			 Wiltshire PCT 10,529 
			 Wirral PCT 15,372 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 19,624 
			 Worcestershire PCT 10,571 
			  Source:  2009-10 Financial Returns of primary care trusts.

Reconfiguration Panel

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reconfiguration proposals have been referred to the Reconfiguration Panel in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health has referred five reconfiguration proposals to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in the last 12 months, following formal referrals to him by local overview and scrutiny committees. The five schemes are:
	Health for northeast London
	Changes to Women and Children's services at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
	Changes to Homeopathy services in Sefton
	Portsmouth (closure of end of life care ward)
	Meeting Patients' Needs (changes to health services in East Lancashire)

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: East Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has had recent discussions with the  (a) Brighton and Hove and  (b) North Down and Weald primary care trust on approaches to limiting the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases.

Anne Milton: Performance on the two indicators in the NHS Operating Framework for 2010-11 of 'Access to a GUM clinic within 48 hours' and 'Chlamydia screening of 16-24 year olds', which relate to tackling the spread of sexually transmitted infections, is raised at regular meetings between the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority and the performance delivery team at the Department of Health as part of performance discussions on key indicators in the NHS Operating Framework.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which persons not employed by Government departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department's premises.

Alistair Burt: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

Kashmir: Al-Qaeda

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the presence of al-Qaeda in Kashmir.

Alistair Burt: We cannot confirm that Al-Qaeda has a direct presence in Kashmir but we recognise that Al-Qaeda poses a significant threat by directing other groups, networks and individuals to mount attacks in all areas in South Asia as well as against UK interests. There is a history of militant activity on both sides of the Line of Control. We continue to call for an end to external support for violence in Kashmir.
	The UK works closely with the Governments of Pakistan and India to tackle terrorism and violent extremism which threatens all our interests. UK funding also supports human rights, conflict prevention and peace building efforts on both sides of the Line of Control.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his Israeli counterpart and  (b) the Palestinian Authority on trends in the conduct of administration by Hamas of the Gaza Strip;
	(2)  what recent reports he has received on the  (a) number and  (b) range of missiles available to Hamas;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of  (a) the number of missiles held by Hamas and  (b) their range in each year since 2005.

Alistair Burt: We maintain regular discussion with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on a wide range of issues, including the situation in Gaza.
	We are concerned by reports that Hamas continue to acquire and test a variety of weapons. This is a continuing picture and we are not able to comment further on the detail. However, we have long made it clear that the arming and funding of Hamas and other Palestinian rejectionist groups is unacceptable.
	We continue to call on Hamas to take concrete steps towards the Quartet principles: renouncing violence, recognising Israel and accepting previously signed agreements.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of steps taken by  (a) Egypt,  (b) Jordan and  (c) Saudi Arabia on implementing the confidence measures towards Israel proposed by the EU External Relations Council at its meeting of 15 June 2009.

Alistair Burt: While we have not held discussions with EU counterparts specifically on using the Association Agreement to encourage these countries to recognise Israel, regional integration and co-operation are important parts of European Union Association Agreements and the wider Neighbourhood policy. The External Action Service and European Commission undertake assessments of progress against association agreements. This includes information on regional co-operation.
	The latest assessments by country are at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/countries/index_en.htm
	Regarding Israel specifically, our position is set out in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of December 2010, which noted:
	"The EU recalls that peace in the Middle East should be comprehensive and reiterates the importance of negotiations on the Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon tracks. Peace should lead to the full integration of Israel in its regional environment, along the lines set out in the Arab Peace Initiative".

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential use of the EU's Association Agreement with Lebanon as a means to encourage Lebanon to recognise Israel.

Alistair Burt: We have not held discussions with EU counterparts specifically on using the Association Agreement to encourage Lebanon to recognise Israel. The EU-Lebanon Action Plan, which implements the Association Agreement, has as an objective the further development of co-operation between the EU and Lebanon in the context of the Middle East Peace Process, which is pursued on the ground and in Brussels.
	The latest assessments by country are at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/countries/index_en.htm
	Regarding Israel specifically, our position is set out in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of December 2010, which noted:
	"The EU recalls that peace in the Middle East should be comprehensive and reiterates the importance of negotiations on the Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon tracks. Peace should lead to the full integration of Israel in its regional environment, along the lines set out in the Arab Peace Initiative".

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential use of the EU's Association Agreement with Tunisia as a means to encourage Tunisia to recognise Israel.

Alistair Burt: While we have not held discussions with EU counterparts specifically on using the Association Agreement to encourage Tunisia to recognise Israel, regional integration and co-operation are important parts of European Union Association Agreements and the wider Neighbourhood policy. The External Action Service and European Commission undertake assessments of progress against association agreements. This includes information on regional co-operation.
	The latest assessments by country are at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/countries/index_en.htm
	Regarding Israel specifically, our position is set out in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of December 2010, which noted:
	"The EU recalls that peace in the Middle East should be comprehensive and reiterates the importance of negotiations on the Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon tracks. Peace should lead to the full integration of Israel in its regional environment, along the lines set out in the Arab Peace Initiative".

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential use of the EU's Association Agreement with Morocco as a means to encourage Algeria to recognise Israel;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential use of the EU's Association Agreement with Algeria as a means to encourage Algeria to recognise Israel.

Alistair Burt: While we have not held discussions with EU counterparts specifically on using the Association Agreement to encourage Morocco to recognise Israel, regional integration and co-operation are important parts of European Union Association Agreements and the wider Neighbourhood policy. The External Action Service and European Commission undertake assessments of progress against association agreements. This includes information on regional co-operation.
	The latest assessments by country are at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/countries/index_en.htm
	Regarding Israel specifically, our position is set out in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of December 2010, which noted:
	"The EU recalls that peace in the Middle East should be comprehensive and reiterates the importance of negotiations on the Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon tracks. Peace should lead to the full integration of Israel in its regional environment, along the lines set out in the Arab Peace Initiative".

CABINET OFFICE

Arts and Sports: Public Participation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will assess effects of long-term trends in attendance at  (a) rock and pop concerts,  (b) shows,  (c) theatre,  (d) football matches,  (e) rugby matches and  (f) cricket matches on social cohesion; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	While there are several small-scale studies suggesting a positive benefit on social cohesion of attendance at cultural and sporting events, there is little robust evidence demonstrating the scale of impact or how sport and culture can be best used to promote it. The DCMS-led Culture and Sporting Evidence programme (CASE), run jointly with our main arm's length bodies, aims to provide better evidence on the benefits of engagement in culture and sport. So far we have identified and quantified health and learning impacts, but are collecting data on behaviour change over time to assess a wider range of outcomes including social cohesion.

Sports: Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will assess the role played by team sports in developing community cohesion and civic society.

Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply.
	While there are several small-scale studies suggesting positive benefits of team sports in developing community cohesion and civic society, there is little robust evidence demonstrating the scale of impact. The DCMS-led Culture and Sporting Evidence programme (CASE), run jointly with our main arm's length bodies, aims to provide better evidence on the benefits of engagement in culture and sport. So far we have identified and quantified health and learning impacts, but are collecting data on behaviour change over time to assess a wider range of outcomes including social cohesion.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Feed-in Tariff

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on the feed-in tariff review; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) today.

Winter Weather

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what advice he has received from the Met Office about likely weather conditions in the winter of 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: Near the end of each month (October to January) the Met Office provided forecasts for three months ahead to Cabinet Office. These were shared with the Department.
	In each of these forecasts, the most likely scenario for northern Europe was that the following three months would be colder and drier than normal. The October forecast indicated an increased risk of a cold, wintry start.

Low-carbon Technologies

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to stimulate the development of low-carbon technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: In addition to supporting the renewables obligation, DECC has secured over £200 million from the spending review to support innovation in low-carbon technologies. This includes offshore wind technology and manufacturing infrastructure at port sites.
	However, the total science budget, which includes other low carbon investment is £4.6 billion.

Low-carbon Technologies

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met  (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss operational models for attracting private sector investment into low-carbon technologies.

Gregory Barker: Ministers in DECC have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on new ways in which Government can attract private sector investment into low carbon technologies. This includes discussions on the potential form and functions of Europe's first Green Investment Bank as part of the coalition Government's commitment towards a green growth agenda.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each devolved Administration in  (a) 2010-11 to date and  (b) each of the last three years; and with which programmes such funding was associated.

Gregory Barker: In the 2010 Spending Review changes in the budgets of the devolved Administrations were determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way. The settlements for the year 2011-12 to 2014-15 were published in table 2.22 of the 2010 Spending Review document (Cm 7942).
	Barnett consequentials relating to each of the devolved Administrations for the year 2008-09 to 2010-11 are published as part of the public expenditure statistical analyses (PESA) supplementary material on the Treasury's website.
	Updated tables taking account of adjustments since the publication of the 2010 edition of PESA will be published alongside the next edition of PESA later this year.
	Information on the block grants paid by the territorial offices to the devolved Administrations is published alongside the main and supplementary estimates.

Departmental Responsibilities

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to abolish his Department.

Gregory Barker: No.

Energy: EU Action

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to support the development of a European supergrid.

Charles Hendry: Through the North Seas Offshore Grid Initiative the Government are working with nine other countries to explore how we might better co-ordinate offshore grid development in the North, Irish and Baltic seas so that we can make the most of our renewable energy resources. The aim is to address the planning, market, regulatory and technical challenges presented by such offshore grid development and create the right framework for industry to invest in future projects. This initiative will not only pave the way for delivery of the North Seas Offshore Grid, but could also help remove the barriers to the other large-scale cross-border infrastructure projects across the EU which together will form the EU supergrid of the future. The Government are also discussing with fellow members of the British Irish Council the possibility of an 'All Islands Approach' to maximising the renewable energy potential around the British Isles, which could involve working together to assess the opportunity for joint renewables projects, better co-ordinating network development and tackling any barriers to greater co-operation.

Energy: Prices

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people who will be classified as fuel poor as a result of increase in energy prices arising from the Renewables Obligation in each of the next five years.

Gregory Barker: There have been no recent estimates made as to the effect on the increase in the level of energy generated from renewable sources will have on the number of people in fuel poverty.
	Government are mindful of the need to strike a balance between increasing costs on customers' bills and providing measures to tackle fuel poverty.

Fuel Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 524W, on fuel poverty, what the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of households in fuel poverty in each Government office region was in each year from 2000 to 2007.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number of households in fuel poverty in each Government office region in England and Wales for each of the years between 2003 and 2007. This information is only available from 2003 onwards.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Government office region  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 95 103 126 179 207 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 180 163 169 273 334 
			 North West 178 190 268 415 473 
			 East Midlands 112 101 145 236 272 
			 West Midlands 146 153 197 304 383 
			 South West 139 134 181 256 259 
			 East of England 115 141 155 224 253 
			 South East 149 133 169 291 333 
			 London 108 119 120 254 309 
			 Wales n/a 134 166 243 n/a 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The equivalent figures for Scotland are shown in the following table. These data are available for 2002 onwards.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   2002  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2007 
			 Scotland 293 350 419 543 586 
		
	
	The following tables show the proportion of households in fuel poverty in each Government office region.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Government office region  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 8.7 9.5 11.5 16.4 18.7 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8.6 7.7 8 12.7 15.5 
			 North West 6.3 6.6 9.2 14.2 16.2 
			 East Midlands 6.3 5.7 8.1 12.9 14.8 
			 West Midlands 6.7 7 8.9 13.7 17.2 
			 South West 6.5 6.2 8.3 11.6 11.7 
			 East of England 5.1 6.1 6.7 9.7 10.8 
			 South East 4.4 3.9 4.9 8.5 9.5 
			 London 3.6 3.9 3.9 8.3 10 
			 Wales n/a 11 14 20 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2002  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2007 
			 Scotland 13.4 15.4 18.2 23.5 25.3

Fuel Poverty: Natural Gas

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in fuel poverty which do not have a mains gas connection.

Gregory Barker: In England in 2008, the latest year for which these figures are available, around 22% of households in fuel poverty did not have a mains gas connection.

Natural Gas: Safety

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011,  Official Report, column 742W, on natural gas: escapes, if he will assess the effect of the practice of  (a) Ofgem and  (b) the Health and Safety Executive on gathering data on (i) the number of gas escapes awaiting repair and (ii) the monthly number of reported gas escapes on the likely effectiveness of their joint review of the gas main replacement programme.

Charles Hendry: The Government welcome the review of the gas mains replacement programme by Ofgem and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and expects all relevant data to be taken into account (including records of gas escapes, repairs, costs, etc.). The Government look forward to Ofgem and the HSE reporting in due course.

Nuclear Power: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that new nuclear power stations do not receive public subsidy; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: It is the Government's policy to enable energy companies to invest in new nuclear power without public subsidy. Government set out what they mean by no public subsidy in a written statement on 18 October.

Sheffield Forgemasters: Finance

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2010,  Official Report, column 981W, on Sheffield Forgemasters: finance, whether any formal discussions were held prior to the decision to withdraw the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	No formal discussions were held between the Department and Sheffield Forgemasters prior to the decision not to proceed with the loan.

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with Ministerial colleagues steps to restrict the construction of solar parks on brownfield sites.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), regularly discusses all aspects of his portfolio with ministerial colleagues.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether solar photovoltaics installed in social housing will be covered by the first review of the feed-in tariffs scheme.

Gregory Barker: The comprehensive review of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) announced on 7 February 2011 will consider all aspects of the FITs scheme, including photovoltaics for all bands and applications, including social housing. It will report before the end of this year for implementation in April 2012. The review will also include specific fast-track consideration of large-scale solar photovoltaic installations of more than 50 kW and fast-track consideration of farm based Anaerobic Digestion.
	The starting point for determining whether an installation would fall above or below 50 kW threshold is the existing FITs legislation. On this basis, the review of tariffs for installations below 50 kW would not be fast-tracked. This is regardless of whether they are installed on private housing or social housing.
	The Government fully supports "rent roof" models (third party ownership financial packages), especially in the context of opening up the benefits of FITs to those living in social housing. However, the effectiveness and costs of all elements of the FITs scheme will be considered as part of the comprehensive review which will be tasked with improving the scheme to deliver both greater long term certainty to industry and investors and also deliver value for money to consumers.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many decisions on offshore wind farms are pending under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Charles Hendry: There are four section 36 consent applications for offshore wind farms that have yet to be determined by DECC Ministers.